Shadow of an Arrow
by bandgeek18
Summary: AU. Roy's life feels like a cage. He's trapped in the lifestyle of a vigilante; becoming more unwilling as he gets more uncomfortable with Green Arrow's methods. He's also trapped living with a guardian who beats him almost daily. Unable to escape, help arrives in the form of Batman and Robin. Can the Dynamic Duo save Speedy from Green Arrow?
1. Batman's Plan

A/N: Hello everyone! This is a story I've been working on for a long time, so I'm excited to share it with you. An important thing to know is that this Roy is not a clone. He is the one and only Roy Harper. Hope you like it.

Bruce sat in front of the bat computer, going over the footage again. His mouth tightened in disdain. He watched as the Green Arrow shot a criminal in the chest with an arrow. His attention wasn't on the rogue vigilante though, it was on the red and yellow figure standing off to the side. He paused the video and focused on the teen. The quality wasn't that good, but he could just make out bruises n the teen boy's face. One under his eye, peeking out from under his mask, another on his right cheek, a third on the left side of his jaw. Bruce's hands clenched into fists.

"What're you looking at?" Bruce quickly hid the image and spun around in his chair. Robin was standing behind him, suited up with his arms crossed.

"Nothing," Bruce said. "Ready?"

"Yup! Let's go on patrol!"

Bruce frowned as he pulled on the cowl. "We're not going on patrol tonight."

Robin stopped smiling and seemed to deflate. "We're not?"

"No. We're going to the Watchtower." The smile returned and Robin jumped in the air, doing a flip in his excitement. "Come on."

"To the Batmobile!" The 10-year-old raced ahead of his mentor, jumping into the Batmobile. Batman got in as well and drove out of the Bat Cave. "Batman, why are we going to the Watchtower?"

Batman's mind flashed back to the video from earlier. One of many he had on file on the Bat computer. "There's something….important the League and I have to discuss with you, Aqualad, and Kid Flash."

"Aqualad and Kid Flash are coming too?! Yes!"

Batman did his best not to look at the excited face of his protege. The boy could take down some of the most ruthless criminals in Gotham, but Batman was still reluctant to blatantly expose him to what was happening. 'I have to though,' he reminded himself silently. 'The League has stood by long enough; too long.' He parked the Bat mobile and made sure the cloaking mechanism was working properly. He got out and found Robin waiting for him by the zeta tube entrance. He went ahead and authorized Robin to access the Watchtower. He gestured and Robin slipped thought the opening in the fence. Batman followed and walked through the zeta.

"Robin, B01.

Batman, 02," the automated voice said, announcing their arrival. Robin's mouth was hanging open as he looked around.

"Wow," he gasped. "So cool!"

"Glad you like it," Superman smiled, floating down. When he was 12 feet from the ground, Robin jumped up and launched himself off the closet wall. He flipped in the air and landed on Superman. The Man of Steel held the tiny boy in his arms gently as he floated towards the ground. "Batman and I designed the whole thing."

"You hardly did anything," Batman muttered as he walked past. Robin laughed and flipped out of Superman's arms a foot from the ground. He somersaulted under the hero's feet before he touched the ground and ran after his mentor. Superman smiled and flew after the two of them. Robin went on ahead, climbing up towards the ceiling on whatever he could get his hands on.

"Have you told him yet?" Superman asked Batman in a quiet voice. His eyes followed the small boy in case he fell.

"No. It'll better if we tell the three of them together."

"You really think Flash and Aquaman will agree to this plan?"

"Agree to what?" Robin asked, dropping out of nowhere so he was hanging upside down in front of Batman and Superman.

"You'll find out soon enough," Batman replied, completely unfazed. He stepped around Robin and the boy went back to using the scaffolding as a jungle gym. They reached the League meeting room and Robin jumped down, landing in Superman's arms again.

"You should be careful," Superman warned him as he floated in.

Robin flipped out of his arms again with a cackle. "I'm fine!"

"Indeed you are," Wonder Woman said, clearly amused by the boy's antics.

"Hi Wonder Woman."

"How are you Robin?"

"I'm good!"

"Rob!" Robin stepped back as a yellow streak suddenly circled him chanting 'Rob! Rob! Rob! Rob!' over and over again.

Flash dashed in and sighed. He caught the Bat glare being thrown his way. "Sorry. Kid!" The streak suddenly stopped. "What did I tell you about running in the Watchtower?"

"Only when Batman's not around." Green Lantern started laughing and Superman smiled. Flash was pretty sure the Bat glare had intensified.

"No. You can only use up to half your speed because the Watchtower is pressurized because we're in space."

"Got it, got it," Kid Flash nodded. He smiled at Robin. "Hi!"

"Hey Kid Flash," Robin greeted.

Kid Flash pat robin on the head and giggled. "Flash he's still so tiny!"

Flash sat down and buried his head in his hands. "GL, when Bats kills me, will you promise to make sure Iris never re-marries?"

"Can do buddy," Green Lantern laughed, patting Flash on the back.

"You should get a muzzle for that kid," Batman said, watching as Robin sat on Kid Flash's back; the hand that had been patting him now twisted behind the 12-year-old.

"He's just….excited. He hasn't stopped since I told him we were going to the Watchtower," Flash explained.

"You say that like he ever stops," Wonder Woman said. Aquaman walked in, followed by Aqualad. The young Atlantean saw his fellow proteges on the floor and frowned.

"What are you doing?" he asked Robin.

"Kid Mouth here said I was tiny." He glared at the young speedster, unaware of how adorable it made him seem. "I won't let him up until he apologizes."

"Robin," Batman said. Robin related Kid Flash and stood up. Wally leaped to his feet and hid behind his uncle. Robin went and stood beside Batman's seat and Aqaualad stood beside Aqauaman.

"We should start," Superman said.

Batman nodded. He pulled up a picture on the holographic screen. Kid Flash, who ad ventured out from behind his uncle, yelped and hid again. Aqualad made a noise of distress and Aquaman put a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you all know who this is," the Dark Knight said. There was nodding from the three young heroes.

"Green Arrow," Robin said. "Vigilante from Star City. Not a meta human, but he is an expert archer."

Kid Flash peeks out at him. "You forgot that he's also a killer."

"That too."

"Yes," Batman said. "Green Arrow is a vigilante that kills his criminals instead if handing them over to the police. Due to his extremely violent nature and lack of morals, the League has been cautious to interact with him."

"That and we have an….agreement with him that we stay out of his way and he says out of ours," Superman added.

"You guys made a true with him?" Kid Flash asked in confusion.

"It works," Green Lantern shrugged. "he says out of our cities."

"Anyways," Batman said, "the League has always honored this agreement. However, circumstances have…changed."

"Changed how?" Aqualad asked.

Batman pushed a button and another picture came up beside Green Arrow's. "Meet Speedy. Green Arrow's partner."

Kid Flash came out for behind his uncle again. "That psycho has a sidekick?"

"Yes. He's been working with Green Arrow for….sometime."

Robin glanced at his mentor. "How long is 'some time?'"

"About two years."

"So why are you telling us now?" Kid Flash asked.

"We have reason to believe that Speedy might not necessarily be safe with Green Arrow."

"Safe? How- oh." Kid Flash shifted uncomfortably and Flash put a comforting hand on his arm.

"Well no one fighting criminals is safe," Robin reasoned innocently. "Even if their mentor kills, fighting dangerous criminals is still dangerous. What?" Everyone was looking at him. Kid Flash looked genuinely confused. Aqualad was giving him a look of sympathy. "Why is everyone looking at me?"

"Batman," Superman muttered under his breath.

"Robin," Batman said. Robin looked at him. "I don't mean Speedy is in danger from criminals."

Robin frowned. "Then who is he in danger from?"

Green Lantern shook his head sadly. This kid's innocence was really something. Batman looked at his young partner. "Green Arrow."

"Why? Isn't Green Arrow his mentor….kind of? Why would he- How could he-" He looked at Batman, demanding answers.

"Green Arrow is not a man with strong morals," Batman explained. "Bad men do terrible things Robin."

"Why do you believe Speedy to be in danger?" Aqualad asked.

"We have numerous stills from security cameras that show Speedy has many bruises."

"Couldn't they be from crime fighting?" Robin asked.

"Possibly. Except there are times when he's not out for some time, and still shows up with bruises."

"Maybe he got them at school?" Kid Flash suggested.

"Unlikely." Batman liked another button and the pictures changed to the two vigilantes, except not in costume. "This is Oliver Queen, aka the Green Arrow, and Roy Harper, aka Speedy. Oliver Queen took Roy Harper in almost two years ago when he was 12. The boy hasn't been seen since then. Queen frequently uses the excuse that Roy has social anxiety and gets sick easily for why he never leaves the property."

"So, Green Arrow is the only person he has contact with," Robin said. "So if the bruises don't come from criminals, they must be coming from Green Arrow."

"Exactly. His isolation is a key too. Abusers are very controlling, and Green Arrow may be using isolation as a way to keep Roy under his thumb."

"I mean no disrespect," Aqualad said, "but if you suspect that Green Arrow may be hurting Speedy, then why hasn't the League intervened yet?"

"The evidence is circumstantial," Flash said. "If we confront Green Arrow, it could all be explained away easily."

"Trust me Aqualad, the minute we found out Green Arrow had this kid we wanted to get him out," Superman said, ignoring a look he was getting from Wonder Woman.

"Why didn't you?!" Kid Flash asked, almost accusingly. Flash wrapped his arm around his nephew, wondering if maybe he should take him home.

"What good would it have done?" Batman asked. "If we just go take Speedy, he can just runaway and go back to Green Arrow."

"Why would he go back?" Robin asked. "If Green Arrow is hurting him shouldn't he want to get away?"

"It could be any number of reasons. Roy is an orphan and Oliver Queen gave him a home. He may feel loyal because of that and feel obligated to stay out of guilt. He may be afire if he attempts to leave Green Arrow will hurt even more." Robin swallowed.

"Why are you telling us this?" Kid Flash asked, seeming to get more uncomfortable with the conversation as it progressed.

"Yes," Aquaman agreed, looking at Batman. "Why did you want them here?"

"I want to send Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad to Star City to try and convince Speedy to leave."

Martian Manhunter frowned. "Why them?"

"Green Arrow knows all the Leaguers on sight, we wouldn't be able to sneak in unnoticed. You all know Green Arrow isn't a big fan of the League, so he's no doubt filled Speedy's head with lies. The boy wouldn't trust a word we say."

"And you think he'll trust them?"

Batman nodded. "I do. If my theory is correct, then Green Arrow has probably tried to keep the fact that Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad exist a secret from Speedy. If he's unaware there are other young heroes out there, it isolates him more so he feels more aline his position. They're also closer to him in age, so he's more likely to trust them."

Aquaman shook his head. "Absolutely not. I am sorry Batman, but I will not even allow Aqualad to swim near the Star City Harbor. Green Arrow is just too dangerous and unstable."

Batman nodded. "Flash?"

"I'm gonna have to say no too. Sorry Bats. I'm scared enough of you that I want to say yes, but my wife would murder me if she knew I let Kid go into Star."

"Does this mean we're not going to help Speedy?" Robin asked.

"No," Batman replied. "It means you'll go alone."

Superman frowned. "Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash can you three please wait outside for your mentors? The meeting is almost over as it is. We just have some business to discuss." The three nodded and left the room. As soon as Superman was sure the door was shut he turned to Batman. "Are you insane?"

"I have to agree with Superman," Green Lantern said. "This is Green Arrow we're talking abut here Batman. He's not some punk in an alley. He can take down entire gangs by himself."

"It does seem a little risky," Flash added.

Batman glared at him. "Are you implying I'm not going to do everything in my power to keep Robin safe?"

"No of course not why would I do something so stupid I would never choose those as my last words."

Superman sighed. "Batman no one is implying you wouldn't do everything possible to keep Robin safe. We're just concerned is all."

"Robin is more than qualified to handle this," Batman said.

"He's 10!"

"What's your point?"

"Has he ever dealt with these types of cases in Gotham?" Batman's silence was all the answer he needed. "He might be skilled but he doesn't have the emotional intelligence to deal with this."

"Robin will be fine." He stood up. "Any way we do this we're going to have to take a risk if we're going to save Speedy." He turned away without another word and swept out of the room. He found Robin talking to Kid Flash and Aqualad. A red streak zoomed past the Bat and the Flash stopped next to his nephew.

"Come on Kid," he said, putting an arm around him. "Let's get you home. It's way past your bed time and your aunt won't be happy."

"Do we have to?" Kid Flash whined.

"Yes, we do. Don't worry, you'll see Aqualad and Robin again soon."

"Ok. Bye Aqualad. Bye Robin."

"Good-bye Kid Flash," Aqualad said politely.

Robin smiled. "Later Kid Mouth." Flash pulled his nephew along; fearful the boy would say something to get them both in trouble.

Batman stopped next to Robin. "Time to go."

Robin nodded. "Bye Aqualad."

"Good-bye Robin and good luck on your mission."

"Thanks!" Robin followed Batman to the zeta tube. He walked through and ran to where he knew the Bat mobile was hidden. Batman slipped through the fence and disabled the cloaking mechanism. Soon the twow of them were racing along the streets of Gotham, back towards the Bat cave. Eventually, Robin looked at his mentor. "Batman, why does Green Arrow hurt Speedy?"

Batman considered his answer carefully. "I don't know," he admitted. Robin gaped him. There was very little in the world Batman didn't know. "It's despicable for a man to raise his hand to a child that is half his size and strength. Truthfully, when Green Arrow first took Speedy in, I was hoping the boy's presence would….encourage Green Arrow to clean up his act and have a little bit more compassion."

"But he didn't."

"No. Whatever reason he does have though Robin, it's not a good one. There's no excuse for a grown man to hit a child. No matter what that child has done."

Robin nodded. Batman would never lay a hand on him. Training didn't count of course, but even then his mentor was careful and pulled a lot of his punches. 'I wonder if Green Arrow pulls punches when he spars with Speedy?' Probably not. It was a sad thought. "Am I really going into Star City alone?"

Batman nodded. "I actually counted on Aquaman and Flash saying no. This plan relies on you convincing Speedy by yourself."

"How am I going to convince Speedy to leave though?"

Batman smiled. "By being yourself." They pulled into the Batcave and Robin vaulted out.

"Welcome home Master Robin," Alfred greeted as the young boy ran past him to get changed. He looked at Batman as he pulled back the cowl. "I take it the meeting went well sir?"

Bruce nodded. "All according to the plan Alfred."

"It is rather strange how well you can guess the movements of the Justice League sir."

"This time it works in my advantage."

"You are certain this si the best course of action."

"We don't have any other options. We can't turn our backs on the situation again." Dick came out in sweats, still beaming radiantly.

"Master Dick, there are cookies upstairs in the kitchen," Alfred informed him.

"Cookies? Yes!" Dick ran up the stairs into the manor. He stopped halfway up and turned around. "Bruce you're coming too, right?"

Bruce nodded. "I'll be there in 5 minutes Dick."

Dick smiled and raced up the steps. He exited through the grandfather clock and went to wait for Bruce in the kitchen. He could smell the cookies before he saw them. Alfred's chocolate chip cookies were the best in the whole world. He finished his night eating cookies with Bruce. Afterward he said good night and, after a few hugs from Bruce and Alfred, went to his room. Once he was ready for bed he slipped under the covers and stared up the ceiling. 'I wonder what Speedy's night was like?' he wondered. 'I wonder if he has any idea that we're coming?'

Unbeknownst to Robin, 3,000 miles away in Star City, a red headed teen was laying in bed, curled up in a protective ball without a shirt so he wouldn't disturb the welts on his back. He was shaking even though it wasn't cold. He had no idea help was just a day away.


	2. Speedy Meets Robin

A/N: I'm glad everyone's enjoying this story so far! Here's the next chapter!

Bruce watched as Dick finished suiting up. "Dick," he said, calling the boy over. Dick ran over, mask in hand. "You have extra bat-a-rangs?"

"Yes," Dick nodded. "And an extra grapple hook."

"Good." There was a breeze of wind and Superman landed next to Bruce. "Clark."

"Bruce," Clark replied. "Are we ready?"

Bruce looked at Dick. "Repeat the plan back to me."

Dick nodded. "I'm going to find Speedy and talk to him. Not about the abuse or anything about Green Arrow though."

"Good. If Green Arrow shows up?"

Dick pulled out a small device that was shared like Superman's 'S' shield. "I press this and Superman will come get me."

"I will be flying around just outside the city," Superman assured him. "If you need any help at all don't hesitate to press it."

Dick nodded. "He's serious Dick," Bruce said, leaning down so he was eye level with the boy. "Do not try to fight Green Arrow. It's not like sparring with me. He won't hesitate to hurt you. Understand?"

"I do," Dick assured his mentor.

"Remember that you can't suggest Speedy leaving yet. We need you to gain his trust before we do that."

"I will." He put his mask on and smiled. "I'm ready."

Bruce and Superman exchanged a glance and the former gave the latter a nod. "Bring him back in one piece."

"You have my word," Superman promised. Robin jumped up and landed comfortably in Superman's arms.

"Let's go!" he said excitedly.

Superman nodded and held Robin to his chest. Bruce watched as he flew up and left the Bat cave, gaining speed as he did. He turned back to the computer to monitor Green Arrow with security cameras. This way he could keep an eye on Robin and Speedy, and keep track of where Green Arrow was so that Robin could get out if he showed up. His mind kept going back over all the ways this plan could go wrong. Speedy could turn Robin over to Green Arrow. Green Arrow could show up before Robin can leave. Batman knew it wasn't productive though. He just had to trust that his partner would do the right thing and keep himself safe. Robin was a people person. If anyone could get through to Speedy, it was him. This still wasn't going to be easy though.

— —

If there was one thing Speedy loved more than his longbow, it was patrol. He loved being able to run and stretch his legs. He loved any chance to use his archery. More than anything though, he loved the freedom. Well, limited freedom. There was really no such thing as actual freedom with Green Arrow, but he got pretty close. He ran lightly across the rooftop and jumped down onto the next one. It had been a slow night for crime in the neighborhood radius he'd been given. He tried to feel something akin to happiness that Green Arrow trusted him enough to let him patrol the area alone. He couldn't mess it up though. His eyes swept over the ground, looking for trouble. He drew his bowstring back when he saw something move in the corner of his eyes. He moved carefully, keeping his arrow ready at all times. "Who's there?" he called. He heard an unnerving cackle and another shadow moved. Speedy flinched and moved quickly, following it. He ran to the edge of the roof top and jumped the gaped between buildings. He stopped and looked round. He heard the cackle again and saw something bright flash against the shadows. He followed the noise as it moved across the buildings. He stopped a couple of minutes later, looking around in confusion. "Where are you?!"

"Behind you." Speedy jumped and spun around, only to find his arrow inches from thin air. Underneath it, was a mop of black hair. Speedy stepped back in confusion. "You…you're a kid."

The kid, who looked 8, smiled. He was dressed weird, in bright colored clothes, with an 'R' on his chest. "I'm not just a kid! I'm Robin, Boy Wonder!" He did a flip and bowed after he landed. "At your service."

Speedy relaxed his bow since this kid obviously wasn't a threat. He was still panicking though. Just on the inside 'Oh my god,' he thought. 'Oh no. Oliver would tear this kid to pieces!' He swallowed nervously. "What're you doing here?"

"I came here to meet you!"

"Meet…me…?"

"Yeah! I love meeting other young heroes!"

"Other- wait you're a hero?"

"Kind of. I'm still in training. I work with Batman."

"Batman? Doesn't he work in Gotham?"

"We sure do!"

Speedy frowned. "Aren't you…kind of far from home?"

Robin seemed to consider it. "I guess."

Speedy put the arrow back in his quiver. The action drew Robin's attention to the underside of his arm. Specifically to the hand shaped bruise wrapped around Speedy's bicep. His mouth tightened, but he didn't say anything. "What're doing here….Robin?"

"I told you. I came to meet you. I've met all the other young heroes except you so-"

"You-you mentioned others."

"Yeah."

"So….there really are more kid heroes?"

"Sure! There's Kid Flash. He works with the Flash. And Aqualad. He works with Aquaman."

"Kid Flash and Aqualad."

"Yup!"

"And you're Robin."

"You got it!"

Speedy drummed his fingers idly on his bow. "I've never heard of you guys."

"Really? But you've heard of Batman, Flash, and Aquaman, right?"

Speedy nodded. "They're in the Justice League."

"They are."

Speedy thinned his lips. Green Arrow always had a few choice words to say about the Justice League. However, none of them were words Speedy felt he could repeat in front of a… "How old are you?"

"10." If Arrow showed up this kid wouldn't stand a chance! The thought made Speedy glance over she shoulder. The action caused Robin to see a dark mark on Speedy's neck. "How old are you?" Speedy looked at him. He didn't know how was possible for someone to look so innocent with their eyes covered by a mask, but this kid could pull it off pretty good.

"I'm 14."

"Cool." Speedy thought he heard something move behind him and jumped. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah." He turned back to Robin. "You should leave. Green Arrow doesn't like other heroes coming into the city. Even small ones."

"What Green Arrow doesn't know won't hurt him."

'No but it will hurt me when he does find out,' Speedy thought bitterly. "Look, you seem like a really nice kid. If Green Arrow finds you here, he's going to hurt you. Trust me you really don't want that."

Robin crossed his arms. "If I leave can I come back?"

"I'd prefer that you don't. If Green Arrow catches you-"

"He won't. I work with Batman, Green Arrow doesn't scare me." Speedy was pretty sure if Batman was anything like Green Arrow then he must be terrifying. His heart stopped as a thought occurred to him. How much trouble would Robin be in for coming to see him? Green Arrow wouldn't even let him out of the house, let alone out of the city. He shivered and felt a stab of pity for Robin. Poor kid would probably be feeling this for a week. "Besides, I want to be your friend."

"My-my friend?"

"Yup!"

"Why?"

"I like to be friends with all the heroes."

"Green Arrow isn't exactly friendly."

"That's why I came to you."

Speedy just wanted this kid to leave. For both their sakes. "Please, just get out of here."

"I'll leave if you say we can be friends."

Speedy sighed. "Robin-"

"Come on! Please?"

Speedy rubbed his hand over his mask. "Fine. We're fiends."

"Awesome!" Robin leaped at Speedy and wrapped his arms around him. Speedy flinched and pushed Robin away.

"Why would you do that?!"

"It-it was just a hug." Robin was confused at the way Speedy almost seemed to be trying to make himself smaller. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I just….just leave."

Robin nodded. Part of him didn't want to leave, knowing what was going on, but he knew he had to. He remembered Batman's words about how they needed to do this delicately. "Bye Speedy."

"Bye Robin." Speedy made sure the boy disappeared before going back the way he'd come. He was relieved every step he took that he didn't see Green Arrow. If he could just make it back to his patrol he'd be golden. He'd just pulled himself up onto the building where Robin had first appeared when something grabbed his arm. His heart stopped when found himself face to face with Green Arrow.

"Where were you?!" Green Arrow demanded.

"I-I- patrolling."

"You left your neighborhood."

"What? No I- I would never-"

"This building is the edge of your neighborhood!" He shook Speedy's arm, causing the teen to lose his balance. "Don't lie to me boy!"

"I'm not! I-I didn't know I swear!" Speedy waited tensely as Green Arrow stared him down. The older archer released him and he felt himself relax. Only to gasp in pain ad stumbled when Green Arrow backhanded him.

"Next time pay more attention to your surroundings. Understood?"

Speedy nodded. "Understood sir."

"Come on, we have work to do," Green Arrow left and Speedy followed, staying close to him as they took off into the night.

— —

Bruce would never have admitted that he let out sigh of relief when Superman dropped Robin back off at the Bat cave. "No complications?"

The Man of Steel shook his head. "Thankfully."

"This was only day one."

"Baby steps." The Bat gave him a glared and he put his hands up in surrender. "I'll go. Good work tonight Robin. Make sure you get some rest."

"I will!" Robin smiled. "By Superman."

"Bye. Batman."

"Superman." Superman left and Robin took off his mask. "Report?"

"Speedy was jumpy and very concerned about Green Arrow finding us. He was really nervous."

Bruce nodded. He'd been expecting as much, "Getting him to trust you won't be short or easy."

"I know, but I really want to help him."

"I know you do. Go get changed and go to bed."

"Ok." Dick paused and looked back at his guardian. "Bruce?"

"Yes?"

"Do….do you think Speedy misses his parents?"

Bruce considered it. "Probably."

"I don't think Green Arrow is a good replacement."

"I'd agree with you on that."

"But, Roy does deserve someone who would do a good job of helping him miss his parents less. Right?"

Bruce nodded, unsure where the conversation was going. "Sounds reasonable."

"Ok." Dick went to change, ending the conversation. Bruce turned back to his computer, feeling as though he was missing something about it. He pulled up another still of Speedy. He knew it was bad to let emotion get involved in a case, but try as hard as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about a vulnerable chid who'd been looking for a home, but had fallen into a lion's den instead. 'I will get you away from him Roy,' Bruce promised silently. 'I won't won't let your name join his list of victims. I promise.'


	3. Just Another Day

A/N: Hey again! I'm posting two chapters today so that this story is in sync with the one on my AO3 account. So for those of you reading it here, congrats, you get a double update today!

A couple days later, Roy woke up to the usual silence of the Queen Mansion. He got out of bed and tip-toed to his door. He walked around and checked to make sure Oliver had left for work for the day. Satisfied that he was alone, he relaxed. The only time he could really relax and not watch his every step was when he was alone during the day. He went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. He'd done something to piss Oliver off before patrol last night, he honestly couldn't remember what it was, and his guardian had refused to give him dinner. So he'd patrolled on an empty stomach. Now he was starving as a result. He felt like he could eat a whole box of cereal. Unfortunately, all he had were two packets of oatmeal on the counter for breakfast. There was also a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter, which he assumed was for lunch. He made his oatmeal and used some bread to make some toast. The silence in the house used to unnerve him when he'd first arrived, but now it was comforting. The silence meant Oliver was away and Roy didn't have to worry about screwing up. Silence meant safety.

After breakfast, Roy went back to his room to get dressed. He put his socks on and stared longingly at his shoes. He had no real need for them since he wasn't allowed to go outside unless it was for patrol, and even then he wore the special boots that went with his suit. He used to wear his shoes around the house just so he could get some use out of them, but that was when he was 12. He'd long since outgrown them. He'd asked Oliver for another pair, but his guardian had refused.

'I'll give you everything you need Roy,' he'd said. 'If I thought you needed shoes I'd give them to you.'

The teen sighed and headed down to the library. He knew Oliver wouldn't give him shoes because it was a good way to keep him from trying to go outside or running away. Not that he'd ever try running away again. Oliver didn't usually refuse Roy's requests. If there was a video game, or book, or movie he wanted, he'd get it. His room was full of things. Way more stuff than he'd ever owned in his whole life. Yet Oliver still didn't allow Roy to have basic things like fresh air and friends. Or peace of mind.

He sat down at his desk in the library. One of the nice things about his life was that he only had to do a few hours of school work. Three or four hours of work, then the whole afternoon until Oliver got home was his. He hurried through his work, eager to have some free time. As he worked though, his mind kept wandering back to two nights ago. 'Did Robin get home?' he wondered as he stumbled through math. 'How mad was Batman when he got back to Gotham?' He shivered. Oliver said that Batman was ruthless. That he drank the blood of criminals and could appear out of any shadows. It was ironic to hear Oliver say anyone was ruthless, considering how he dealt with criminals. 'He kills them right away,' Roy reminded himself mentally. 'Batman doesn't kill criminals, he just lets them suffer.' He was actually amazed Robin had even shown an interest in meeting him. Oliver always said that Batman a psychopath who had an aversion to human interaction. He'd wondered if Oliver knew Robin existed, but there was no way he could ask. Not without revealing he'd talked to the boy and he wasn't going to do that. The worst he'd gotten in three days was a slap here or there. He didn't want to jeopardize this new streak by upsetting Oliver. So he was left to just speculate that Oliver probably did know about Robin, and hadn't told him to protect him. Same reason he didn't let Roy talk to any other heroes or go outside. It was for his own good.

His stomach was growling again by noon. He put his stuff away and shuffled back to the kitchen for lunch. He made himself a peanut butter sandwich. It was usually what Oliver left him for lunch. As he ate, he further contemplated his earlier thought. 'If Oliver is protecting me from Robin, why do I need protection? Robin seemed really nice. Pretty innocent and genuine.'

"Could've been a rouse," he mused out loud. Robin could've been pretending to be nice in order to get Roy to drop his guard. 'Like the Flash.' Oliver told him that the Flash had a pretense of being friendly and open, when really he was only concerned with himself. That he only did heroic deeds because he liked being adored by the inhabitants of Central City. 'Didn't Robin say that Flash has a kid partner? What was his name….Flash Boy? No, Kid Flash. That's it! His name is Kid Flash.' Again, he reasoned Oliver didn't tell him for his protection. If Kid Flash was like his mentor, then it was probably better Roy didn't meet him. Oliver said that someone with suer speed was unpredictable and couldn't control themselves. If an adult with super speed couldn't control himself, Roy highly doubted a kid could. He ate the last few bites of his sandwich quickly and downed the rest of his milk. 'Doesn't matter,' he thought. Whether Robin really wanted to be his friend or not, he doubted he'd ever see the kid again. Oliver had strict rules about other heroes staying out of Star City, and Robin would be no exception. Even if Robin and been trying to trick him for some reason, Roy didn't want to be the reason the kid was killed. It made his skin crawl, but he knew Green Arrow would've shot Robin in the chest if he'd found him.

Roy went to the den to watch tv. The only time he watched tv in here was during the day. At night and in the later afternoon he pretty much did everything in his bedroom. The alternative was to spend time with Oliver, which meant risking a beating. He'd much rather take Oliver muttering under his breath about teenagers than getting kicked. He pulled his legs up onto the couch and cradled them to his chest as he flipped through the channels. He paused when he came across a news report. He saw Batman's name and hesitated for a moment.

"Authorities in Gotham City are breathing a sigh of relief with the Joker back in Arkham Asylum," the newscaster said. The picture in the corner showed a clown, a scary-ass psychotic clown, with several broken bones judging by his casts. Roy quickly changed the channel. Every time he saw a report like that it reaffirmed his belief that Oliver was right about the other heroes; and that his guardian really was just trying to protect him. He finally just watched a cartoon. He was a little old for Spongebob, but he just needed something to distract him for a bit. This lasted for a couple hours, but by then he'd had more than enough tv. He grabbed one of his video games from his bedroom and put it in. He sat on the ground and played. Part of him really wised he had someone to play with. Oliver played with him once in a while when he was in a really good mood or slightly buzzed. Or on a combination of the two. Usually, he played alone though. The game distracted him to the point that he didn't hear Oliver come home until his guardian was standing in the doorway.

"I trust you got your work done?" Oliver asked.

Roy jumped, momentarily stopping his fingers. This caused his character to die in the game. Oliver chuckled and Roy quickly assessed the man. He was smiling and his body language was laid back. Roy relaxed, satisfied Oliver was in a good mood and nodded. "Yes. it's in the library."

Oliver nodded. "Dinner at 5. Patrol at 7."

"Ok." Oliver left and Roy went back to his game. He was pretty happy he at least got to eat dinner tonight. Patrolling on an empty stomach sucked. He had to focus harder to keep his aim accurate and he got tired more quickly. It wasn't the worst way to patrol, considering the condition he'd been in sometimes when going out. Eating was still always preferable though. He tried to focus on his game to keep himself calm. If he was too tense Oliver would notice and get irritated with him. His game did keep him kind of calm. He moved through it at a slower pace than he had earlier since now he was on the look out for Oliver. He played until dinner when he had to inevitably join Oliver. He walked into the kitchen cautiously, once again checking to gage if Oliver was in a good mood. He was and Roy sat down, hopeful that tonight was going to be a good night. "Dig in," Oliver said, placing a bowl in front of Roy.

"Thank you." Roy started eating, waiting tensely to see what Oliver would do.

"How was your day?" Roy relaxed a little bit. If he was interested in Roy's day he'd probably had a good one himself.

"It was good. I just did my work, watch tv, and played my game."

"You need to pick up some new hobbies."

"How was your day?"

Oliver sighed, setting Roy's nerves on edge. "Good enough, I've been trying to make a deal with Wayne Enterprises, but Bruce Wayne keeps changing the conditions. I'm this close to just terminating the deal. His money be damned."

"It's really that bad?"

"He always does this. The man's a pain in the ass to work with. I'd swear he's doing it just to annoy me."

"Some people are just like that."

"Hm. I'd punch him in the face if I thought there was anything in his head worth damaging." He smiled and Roy smiled back. Days like this were his he could sit back and enjoy Oliver's company rather than walking on egg shells around him. The two finished their dinner and went to suit up for patrol.

Roy smiled as put his suit on. Patrol, while a very stressful time given how easily and often things could and did, go wrong, it was his only chance to leave the house. "Where are we going today?"

"Since you've been so well behaved, I'm going to let you patrol an east side neighborhood by yourself."

"Thank you, Oliver." Roy pulled his quiver on, quickly double-counting to make sure he had all his arrows. He tightened it and put on his mask.

"Tomorrow I want you to sharpen the arrows," Green Arrow said, quickly stringing his bow.

Speedy nodded as he strung his own bow. "Yes sir."

"Let's go."

Soon Speedy was following Green Arrow through Star City, looking for criminals that'd chosen the wrong night to break the law. Granted any night in Star was a bad night to break the law. They eventually stopped on a building. Green Arrow turned to face Speedy. "I'm leaving you here. 10 block radius. Don't even think about stepping outside it."

Speedy nodded earnestly. "Yes, Green Arrow." Green Arrow left and the younger archer breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Thank god," a voice said from behind him. "I thought he'd never leave."

Speedy spun around and nocked his bow. He found Robin perched on top of a chimney, smiling down at him. "Robin?"

"The one and only!" Robin jumped into the air and flipped twice before landing in front of Speedy. "Miss me?"

"What're you doing here?!" Speedy hissed. "I told you not to come back!"

"I wanted to see you." Robin looked around dramatically. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because, if Green Arrow hears us and comes back he'll kill you!"

Robin laughed. The volume of it made Speedy's heart rate pick up. "Don't worry. He won't catch us."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I also know that he will kill you. He doesn't do second chances."

"Green Arrow doesn't scare me."

"He should."

"Besides, he won't kill me. If he did Batman would come after him, and then he'd really be in trouble."

Speedy sighed. "What do you want?"

"To talk to you."

"Why?"

"You're my friend. I just wanted to see you."

Speedy frowned. "You keep saying that. We've just met, how can we be friends?!"

"Well I like you, you like me. What else is there to it?"

"How do you know I like you?"

"If you didn't you would've turned me over to Green Arrow by now." He had a point there.

"Ok, so I like you. It doesn't prove anything."

Robin shrugged, then leaned against the chimney. "Maybe not. But it's as good of a place to start as any."

Speedy thought about it for a moment. "Yeah….I guess…" If he was being honest with himself, the idea of being Robin's friend was appealing. He hadn't had any friends since he'd come to live with Oliver; or any other human interaction for that matter.

"Asterous."

Speedy blinked. "Asterous?"

"Yeah. It's like….the opposite of disastrous."

"You….you do know that's not a real word, right?"

"Sure it is. I just said it, didn't I?" Speedy smiled. There was something strange, yet oddly likable about Robin. "So how'd you get into the superhero gig?"

"It's….complicated."

"Try me."

Speedy tapped his bow idly. "Well…long story short, my adopted dad died and I impressed Green Arrow in an archery contest." Robin nodded. He'd already known about Speedy's adopted father. "What about you? You're kind of young aren't you?"

"I've been doing this since I was 9."

"9?! How does 9-year-old get dragged into this?!"

Robin hesitated for a second. "Long story short my parents were murdered and I'm doing this to protect people."

"Oh. I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thanks. I'm sorry about your dad."

"Thanks." Speedy shifted on his feet again. "I-"

"Speedy!" The young archer's blood froze and he spun around. Green Arrow walked towards him. Speedy glanced back. Robin was nowhere to be found. He looked back at Green Arrow, who was inches form him. "Who are you talking to?!"

"N-no one."

Green Arrow stared him down. "No one?"

"Y-yes." A punch to the jaw sent him stumbling to the ground. He dropped his bow in shock.

"Don't lie to me boy!" Green Arrow grabbed Speedy by the front of his shirt.

"I-I'm not! I swear!"

"So you've been standing here talking to yourself this whole time?"

Speedy nodded. "Yes."

Green Arrow scowled. He shoved Roy back, then punched him again. He kicked the teen in the chest while he was down. "That's for standing around wasting time! If you want to keep talking to yourself, I'll drop you off in Gotham at Arkham Asylum!" He kicked Speedy again, this time in the face. "Understood?!" Speedy nodded. "I said," he picked the teen up by his collar. "understood?!"

Speedy nodded quickly. "Yes Green Arrow!"

Green Arrow shoved him back. "Get back to your patrol. I'll be back for you in a few hours." The older archer left, leaving Speedy hurt and shaking. He winced as he reached down to pick up his bow. He jumped when a green glove suddenly grabbed it. He straightened up as Robin held out his bow.

"Here," the boy said quickly.

Speedy took it. "You should go."

To his surprise, Robin nodded. "Ok. See you later." The boy ran to the edge of the building jumped, disappearing into the night. Speedy winced as he briefly ran a hand over his ribs. Hopefully not broken. He started moving through the block, keeping an eye out for crime. When he found criminals, he was supposed to tie them up and leave them for Green Arrow later. He knew what was going to happen to them, but if he didn't do his job on patrol he'd get a severe beating when he got home. He found two muggers and a car thief as he made his rounds through the neighborhood. He did his best to keep his mind off the fate that was coming for these guys as he made sure they were retrained.

'They're criminals,' he reminded himself. 'They're scum. Remember what Oliver said. Criminals don't deserve your pity, they deserve to be exterminated.' He kept repeating that in his head as the night wore on, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He made it back to the building to find Green Arrow waiting for him.

"Well?" Green Arrow demanded.

"Mugger on the corner of Sharpton and First. Car their by Fifteen Ave and a mugger on Waterside Street."

Green Arrow nodded. "Wait here."

Speedy nodded. He'd much rather stand here than watch. His heart pounded in his chest. Any moment now those three guys would be dead. He tried not to wonder if they were someone's father or son. 'Criminals don't deserve your pity,' he reminded himself. Green Arrow returned within a few minutes.

"Let's go," he said. "I have information about drug smugglers."

Speedy nodded and followed him. Soon he found himself on the other side of the city, creeping up on a group of men standing around two cars. He looked at Green Arrow who nodded. The two of them drew their bows and fired. Green Arrow's shot hit one of them in the neck, while Speedy's hit one of them in the arm. The two archers ran from their hiding spots as the drug dealers open fired on them. Green Arrow ran to the side and took out three of them at once. Speedy on the other hand had a harder time dodging bullets. He did his best while taking non-lethal shots. He gasped when pain suddenly tore at his leg. He stumbled and fell. "Ah!"

Green Arrow looked back at him and huffed in annoyance. He quickly finished the rest off, shooting them all in the neck or chest. He walked slowly over to Speedy, who was on the ground in pain. "Bullet?" Speedy nodded. Green Arrow grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Ah!" Pain blinded Speedy when he put pressure on his leg.

"Stop shouting. Come on." Green Arrow dragged Speedy along as the two headed home.

— —

Speedy hissed in pain when he was finally able to sit down. He took his mask off, green eyes filled pain. "Ah!"

Oliver took off his mask and looked back at his ward. "I suppose I'll need to take that out. You're useless to me dead." He grabbed a first aid kit and crouched down in front of Roy. He quickly cut away the teens pants around the wound and made a small incision. "Don't move." He held Roy's leg with one hand and used tweezers to dig the bullet out with the other. Roy hissed and yelled in pain. HIs leg twitched and tried to jerk away, but he held it as still as possible while squeezing his seat with his hands. Oliver finally took the bullet out and set it aside. He pressed some bandages to Roy's leg. "Hold." Roy put his shaking hand on the bandage and maintained pressure. Green Arrow stood up, then slapped Roy across the face. "Next time don't be sloppy and get shot!"

Roy nodded numbly. "Yes Oliver."

"Next time I might just let you bleed to death." He finished getting changed and left. He paused in the doorway though, not even looking back at the teen. "Don't forget to sharpen the arrows tomorrow."

"Yes Oliver." Oliver left and Roy carefully wrapped his leg. He felt a tear prick at the edge of his eye. He wiped it away quickly. "Whatever you say."

— —

When Superman entered the Bat cave, Robin jumped out of his arms and ran to his mentor. "Bruce!" he yelled, ripping his mask off.

Bruce frowned at Dick's wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Green Arrow showed up!"'

"He did?!" Superman demanded. Bruce gave him a look that said 'How did you not know?!'

Bruce turned back to his son. "Tell me what happened."

"Green Arrow was mad at Speedy cause he hadn't moved! And he….he punched him Bruce!"

"He did?"

Dick nodded, seeming to get more upset. "He did! And then he kicked Speedy and he yelled at him! Then he kicked him again!" Bruce felt his blood boil, but he kept his cool. Dick needed him right now. "Green Arrow told Speedy if he didn't stop talking to himself he'd throw him in Arkham!" He looked at Bruce pleadingly. "You wouldn't let him do that, right Bruce?! You would stop him?!"

Bruce nodded and wrapped his arms around the child. "Of course I would. I'd never let Green Arrow do anything so terrible to Speedy."

Dick sobbed quietly into Bruce's shoulder. "Why would he do that Bruce?! Why would he hurt Speedy?!"

"Some men are evil Dick. They hurt others and they don't care how old they are."

"It's terrible!"

"I know." Bruce rubbed his back while Superman gave him a look.

"I think it's time to take Dick off the case," the man of steel said.

Bruce nodded. "I think you're right."

"No!" Dick protested. He pushed himself away. "I can't stop! We have to help Roy!"

"We'll find another way," Superman assured him. "Dick this case is too much for you-"

"No it isn't! This was our last choice as it is!"

"Dick," Bruce said. He put a hand on his ward's shoulder. "You're only 10. This case is only going to get worse."

"I have to help him Bruce."

"Let the League handle it," Superman said.

"No! I won't! And if you try to stop me I'll just keep going by myself."

Bruce and Superman both sighed. "Why is this so important to you?"

"Someone has to help him. He needs us."

"But the League can help him," Bruce argued. "Why do you want to stay on so bad?"

Dick crossed his arms. "When we were talking earlier, Roy told me about how he lost his dad. He sounded so…sad." He looked at both the adults. "What if it was me? What if I was taken in by someone like Oliver instead of someone nice like you Bruce?"

"That's why you want to help him so bad."

Dick nodded. "It could've been me."

Bruce sighed. Damn, why did his kid have to be so passionate? "You can stay on the case. But it's only going to get worse from here."

Dick stood up straighter. His tears had dried. What he'd seen still upset him, but he couldn't afford to be crying like a little kid. Not if he wanted to stay on the case. "I can handle it."

"I still don't like you going into Star alone after this."

"I could take Kid Flash."

Superman shook his head. "Flash would kill us," he admitted.

"Kid Flash also isn't good back-up," Bruce said.

Dick shrugged. "I'll be fine then. Green Arrow didn't catch me tonight."

"Thankfully." Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes. This night had been long and it was just starting for him. "Go to bed."

Dick nodded, deciding not to argue, and left to change. Superman glared at the Dark Knight. "You can't possibly keep him on the case after this!"

"He has his reasons."

"He's a kid!"

"I must agree with Mr. Kent, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "Master Dick is too young to be dealing with a case like this alone."

"He's not alone," Bruce said.

"Yes he is!" Clark snapped. "He's alone when he's in Star and he's watching a teenager get beat by a grown man!"

"He can handle it."

"He's 10! He shouldn't have to deal with this up close and personal!"

"That's enough!" Bruce snapped, jumping to his feet. "Leave. This case belongs to us! Now get out of my city!"

Superman sighed. "Bruce-"

"Now!" Superman nodded. He flew away and Alfred raised an eyebrow at Bruce.

"I hardly think you needed to shout at him Master Bruce," the butler said.

"I don't need him questioning me."

"He's merely looking out for Master Dick's safety."

"I'll worry about Dick. If I say he can handle the case, he can handle it."

"I hope you're right sir," Alfred said as Bruce went to go make sure Dick was getting ready for bed. "I hope you're right."


	4. Difficulties

A/N: Hello wonderful readers! Time for another update! I hope everyone is enjoying reading it.

It was three days before Roy could go on patrol again. He woke up the morning after getting shot to burning pain in his thigh. He sat up, wincing. His chest was still sore from Oliver kicking him, as was his jaw. He gently removed his shirt and looked down. Bruises in different shades of age dotted his ribs. The newest one was on the side and surprisingly big. He tapped it gently. He was pretty sure there were no broken ribs underneath. He put his shirt back on and got out of bed. As soon as he was standing though, he fell. He caught himself on his bed and breathed through the pain. He stood up as straight as he could, standing on his uninjured leg. He hopped to the bathroom, using his bed and bookcases to keep himself up. Once he made it, he sat on the edge of the tub to change the bandages. He examined the wound for a minute, satisfied that it wasn't infected. He quickly cleaned and rewrapped it, then pushed himself back up. He hopped down the hall, using the wall to keep himself up. By the time he made it down the stairs, somehow without falling on his face, his leg he could use was tired. He spent most of his day sitting to keep pressure off his injured leg and to not wear out his good leg. Luckily sharpening the arrows, every one of them in the arsenal, took hours and was a sitting down activity. Oliver had come home by the time he was finishing.

Oliver inspected a few arrows, making sure the points were sharp enough. Roy's heart was pounding while he waited. Eventually, his guardian grabbed his hand and slid the edge of an arrow against his palm. A thin line of blood appeared on Roy's hand. He didn't even wince because he was long used to Oliver's method of testing the arrow sharpness. Oliver nodded, satisfied "Good work."

Roy let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thank you."

"Come upstairs for dinner." Roy hopped his way to the kitchen, which Oliver noticed but didn't comment on. The two sat down for dinner, which Roy sat tensely, keeping part of his attention on Oliver the whole time. Oliver didn't talk at first, which was fine with Roy. Eventually, he looked at the teen. "You're staying home tonight."

Roy frowned. "I am?"

"Yes. You can't walk and you'll only slow me down."

Roy nodded. Normally he'd be upset about losing his one opportunity to get some fresh air, but he was in too much pain to care. "Ok." He waited a minute before venturing, "Oliver?"

"Hm."

"Can I- Can I have some pain medicine please?"

Oliver seemed to think about it for a minute. "Yes. I'll give you some before I leave."

"Thank you." Roy went back to his meal silently. After dinner Oliver gave him some medicine and he hopped his way back upstairs. He laid in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. 'I hope Robin doesn't come tonight,' he thought. 'If he does…' Roy shivered. 'At least without the ability to move a lot I can't piss Ollie off in any major way.' He drifted off to sleep, dreaming that he and Robin were running across the rooftops; free of the life forces that brought them down.

— —

"What if something bad happened to him?" Robin asked as he fixed his mask.

"I'm sure Speedy is….alive," Batman replied. He avoided using the word 'fine' since being practically held captive and beaten regularly by a sociopathic billionaire didn't seem to qualify as 'fine'.

"Then why hasn't he been out?"

"Maybe Green Arrow doesn't let him out to patrol every night."

"But he was out every night before last night."

"Maybe he was hurt after you left. We should never try to understand the mind Oliver Queen."

"You're telling me. He kills everyone! I followed him around, hoping to see Roy, and he even kills vandals."

"What, you- Dick I told you to keep your distance from him!" This is what he'd been doing the Green Arrow went into areas without surveillance cameras.

"I was in the shadows the whole time! He never saw me!"

"I still don't want you to go near him." Even if Robin had the skill to tail Green Arrow without being detected, which he definitely did, Batman didn't want his partner exposed to the brutality of Green Arrow's methods. He knew it was pointless, given what Dick had seen already in Gotham, but he couldn't turn off the part of his brain that argued to keep the boy safe. Robin didn't need to be that close to a deadly vigilante. "Stop tailing him immediately if you don't see Speedy tonight. Understood?"

"I can follow him without getting caught!"

"Robin…"

"Fine."

Superman arrived. "Are you sure you want to do this?'

Robin sighed. "You've been asking me that for three days."

"I can always hope that you'll change your mind. We're still doing this?" Robin nodded. "I was afraid of that."

"I'm not changing my mind."

"I'm afraid of that too."

"Let's go then!"

Batman grabbed Robin's arm gently. "Stay away from Green Arrow," he warned his protege. He looked at Superman. "Make yourself useful for once and make sure he doesn't follow Green Arrow all night if Speedy doesn't turn up."

'Is it better to admit I didn't know what he was doing?' Superman wondered. He nodded though for Batman's benefit. "I will." Robin jumped into his arms. "Let's get this over with."

"Remember what I said!" Batman yelled as Superman flew off with Robin in his arms. The Dark Knight had to resist the urge to follow. He had confidence in Robin, but he didn't like his partner going alone. 'I just have to trust Superman to keep him safe.' The thought made the Bat grimace.

— —

Once Superman dropped him off on the outskirts of the city, Robin had his grappling hook out. He grappled up the side of a building and took off across them. He put his hand to his comm. "Robin to Batman."

"Green Arrow and Speedy are out," Batman informed him. "I'm sending their location to you."

Robin looked down at his gauntlet computer. The map of Star City showed to blips, one green and one red, several blocks north of him. He nodded and headed for their location. He stuck to the shadows as much as possible. Star City wasn't quite as dreary and dark of Gotham; but the lights made the shadows even darker, which worked perfectly for him. 'It doesn't look like Green Arrow is as skilled with stealth as Batman is,' Robin noted silently. He crept along as he got closer. He peeked over the edge of a roof. Speedy and Green Arrow were down below in an alley. They had a man cornered, with both archers keeping an arrow trained on him. Speedy looked away suddenly, just as Green Arrow shot the man in the chest. Robin bit back a gasp as the man dropped to the ground. It still made his stomach turn to see life being taken; even if said life was a criminal. He looked at Speedy, who turned back to his mentor. 'Speedy still doesn't like killing.' He filed that away. The two moved and Robin followed from the rooftops. Luckily, they didn't come across any more criminals.

Eventually, the two archers also took to the rooftops. Robin hid himself silently in the shadows, watching them keenly. "You have these 10 blocks," Green Arrow said. "Don't-"

"Don't leave this neighborhood and don't stand around," Speedy finished. "I know."

Green Arrow grabbed his neck and Speedy gasped in shock. Robin's hand dropped to his utility belt. He wasn't supposed to intervene, but he wouldn't stand by idly and let Green Arrow strangle Speedy. "Are you talking back to me boy?!"

Speedy shook his head quickly. "N-no! Of course not."

"It sounded like you were."

"I swear I didn't!"

"Hmm." Green Arrow released him and Speedy stepped back a step. "Don't screw it up!" The emerald archer left. Robin smiled and stepped out from the shadows.

"Long time no see," he said.

Speedy jumped and spun around. "Why do you keep doing that?!"

"Doing what?"

"Just…appearing out of nowhere!"

"That's how we roll. Batman and I, I mean."

Speedy sighed. "You need to go. I got in trouble last time he found me on the roof he left me on."

Robin nodded, remembering the encounter very well. "Well…let's go then."

"Go? Go where?"

"Another building. Come on!"

"Wait-" Robin didn't wait, but instead took off across the rooftops. He left Speedy follow, certain the teen wouldn't let him roam the city alone. He finally stopped and Speedy gave him a glare. "Happy?"

Robin shrugged. His smile disappeared. "So…about what I saw earlier-"

"You didn't see anything," Speedy interrupted quickly. "Nothing happened."

"Green Arrow grabbed your neck! I saw it!"

"No he didn't!"

Robin crossed his arms. "What about what happened three days ago?" His eyes stared at the large, dark bruise on Speedy's jaw.

"What about it?"

"He punched you-"

"No he didn't!"

"Then he kicked you while you were down. Twice!"

"He didn't! Your eyes were playing tricks on you!"

Robin bit back a 'they were not'. He wouldn't get Speedy on his side by outright arguing with him. "Why are you covering for him? You know I saw. We both know you're lying."

"I'm not lying." Some of the conviction left his voice.

"Yes you are. Why are you covering for him?!"

Speedy took a threatening step towards him. "You don't know anything about him!" He glared at the kid. "You should leave. Now."

Robin sighed internally. Clearly he'd pushed Speedy too far. "If I drop it, can I stay?"

"Fine." The 'this isn't finished' hung unsaid between them.

"Where were you the last three days?"

"I got hurt."

"Did-"

"If you ask if Green Arrow hurt me I'm leaving."

"Ok, ok." Robin put his hands up in surrender. "So…what do you like to do for fun?"

"Fun?"

"Yeah. When you're not out here….catching criminals."

"Oh. I…I play video games. I watch tv. Practice my archery."

"I do those things too! Minus the archery of course. Batman and I are more hands on with our fighting." His face lit up with an idea. "Maybe you could teach me some time!"

"Sure…" Speedy doubted such a thing would ever happen. "Whatever you say."

"Whoo!" Robin did a backflip, which made Speedy smile. There was something infectious about Robin's joy and innocence. How he maintained it woking so closely with Batman, Speedy would never know. "Awesome!"

"You're very….acrobatic."

"I…uh…I used to be in the circus."

"Really? That's….actually pretty cool."

"You think so?!"

Speedy nodded. "It is. Way more exciting than growing up on a reservation like I did." He felt an ache in his heart for his old home.

"Do you like school? I like school. Except everyone is really mean. Even the teachers sometimes. I like learning though."

"I don't go to school."

"You don't?"

"No. I'm homeschooled." Technically. When you were as rich as Oliver you could pretty much do whatever you wanted with your ward's education.

"Wow. Is that fun?"

"It's ok. I only have to do work for a few hours. Then I can play video games all afternoon."

Robin gaped. "That sounds amazing! Learning and no bullies!" He frowned abruptly. "Does that mean you don't have any friends."

"I have friends. I have you." That made him smile again.

"What about Green Arrow?'

Speedy grimaced. Green Arrow was definitely not his friend. Guardian yes. Friend no. "Not exactly," he said eventually. "My relationship with GA is complicated." Robin nodded. A thought occurred to Speedy. "Are you friends with Batman?"

Robin nodded. "Of course! We're partners! Aren't you and Green Arrow partners?"

'Partners….' Speedy was certain Green Arrow would never use an equal term for him. He wasn't even sure he was the man's sidekick as much as he was his punching bag. 'If Batman is all bad, how can he consider this kid his partner? Maybe Robin is just exaggerating. I hope not. This kid is way too small and young to be the punching bag of an adult. Especially if that adult is well trained like Batman.' He shook his head. "It's complicated." He shifted on his feet. "You should go. I have to go to work, or I'll be in trouble."

Robin nodded. "Ok."

"Are you- are you coming back tomorrow?"

Robin thought about it. "Probably not. Day after that though."

Speedy nodded. "Ok."

"See ya." Robin took out his grappling hook and swung from the building. "Robin to Batman. Where's Green Arrow?"

"Green Arrow hasn't left the same three streets," Batman informed him.

"You won't tell me where?"

"No. Meet up with Superman and come straight home."

"You got it boss." Not knowing where Green Arrow was, Robin had to stay deep in the shadows until he reached the outer reaches of the cities. He leaped onto the ground and ran to where Superman would be waiting. "Superman." He stopped just outside the city limits. He looked back. 'I hope you don't get in trouble tonight Speedy,' he thought.

"Robin," Superman said. The small bird looked at him. "Ready?'

Robin nodded and vaulted up into the Man of Steel's arms. "Ready." Superman took to the air, automatically tightening his grip on Robin. Not enough to hurt him, just enough to keep him from falling so that Batman didn't kill him. The young vigilante was silent on the flight back to Gotham. It wasn't just because he wouldn't be able to hear Robin at these speeds. 'I wish Bruce would just give up this crazy plan,' he thought. Silent Robin was never good, but Superman was more concerned about Robin being emotionally affected by the situation than causing trouble. They finally entered Gotham and he made a beeline for the Batcave. Once he set Robin down, the boy went to report to Batman.

"Well?" Batman asked.

"Green Arrow grabbed Speedy by the neck." Robin reported.

"What?!" Batman and Superman demanded in unison. If the circumstances had been different, it would've been funny.

"What do you mean he grabbed Speedy by the neck?" Batman growled. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his fist.

"He thought Speedy was talking back and he grabbed his neck."

"Did he choke him?" Superman asked. If the answer was yes, he was flying back to Star and punching Green Arrow in the face. Subtlety be damned.

"No, I don't think so. He was pretty scared though."

Batman slowly unclenched his fingers one at a time. "Anything else?"

"I tried to bring up what happened last time, but Speedy kept saying nothing happened."

"He's defending Green Arrow."

Robin nodded. "That's not good, right?"

"No," Superman said. "It's not."

"I just makes our job a little harder."

"I think I'm doing good-"

"Well," Superman corrected. "You're doing well." Two bat glares were thrown his way. "I'll show myself out."

"Do that," Batman nodded. He looked at Robin to continue.

"Speedy asked me when I was coming back."

"That's good. Although starting with the blatant abuse you saw is a good start, try to stick to…lighter topics. Once we're sure he trusts you, I'll go over how you should address this topic."

"Ok. Are we going on patrol?"

Batman looked at the time. "No, you have school."

"Aww man! Please?!"

"No. Bed."

Robin huffed. "Fine. But patrol tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we're going to the Watchtower."

"Patrol after though, right?"

"Bed Robin."

The boy cackled and ran off to change. Once he was gone. Batman allowed his anger to creep back in. The more he heard of Oliver's treatment of Roy, the more it made him want to beat the man to death. He reeled his anger in. That wasn't a path of thought he could go down. 'Screwing him over as Bruce Wayne isn't enough,' he thought bitterly, going to the Bat mobile. It was late, but he needed to blow off steam. There were very few problems that he faced where Bruce Wayne could do more than Batman, but Batman could do practically nothing at the moment. The League was barely scathing the surface on the difficulties of this case. 'It's going to take a lot more than Dick's social skills to help Roy. It's going to require both our masked and unmasked selves.'


	5. The League Has A Plan

The Justice League gathered in the meeting room of the Watchtower. Flash ran in, Kid Flash hot on his heels. The older speedster stopped, then face-planted into the ground when his nephew ran into him. Green Lantern snickered. "Like father like son," he said quietly. Wonder Woman nodded, smiling a little.

Kid Flash got off his mentor. "Sorry Flash."

"No, no, that was my fault," Flash said as he got up. He brushed his suit off. "I should've known better than to stop in front of you."

"You need to teach that kid how to brake," Green Lantern teased.

"We're trying." He grabbed Wally by the back of his suit to keep him from super speeding away. "Did we actually beat Batman here?"

"No," the Dark Knight said, stepping out of the shadows. The two speedsters jumped.

"Way to give a guy a heart attack Bats."

Robin flipped over his mentor, using Batman's shoulder as a springboard. He landed in front of Kid Flash with his arms crossed. "Sup Kid Mouth?"

Kid Flash gasped. "That was awesome! Flash did you see that?!"

"Sure did," Flash called back absentmindedly as he sat at his seat.

"You did not!"

"I've seen him do stuff like that before. His tricks are all pretty much the same." A Bat glare and a mini bat glare were thrown his way. He sighed. "GL I'm getting the Glare again, aren't I?"

Hal nodded. "It's pretty bad."

Aquaman walked in and frowned. "What has Flash done to upset Batman this time?"

"Insulted Robin's tricks," Wonder Woman answered.

Aqualad stepped between Kid Flash and Robin, sensing the small bird might attack the Speedster again. "Good Evening."

"Hey Aqualad," Kid Flash smiled. "You should've seen the flip Robin did earlier! It was awesome!"

Batman cleared his throat. "We should get started."

"Later," Robin promised in a whisper. The three of them dispersed to stand next to their mentors.

"How has it been going with Speedy?" Flash asked, sounding uncharacteristically professional.

"Robin has been successfully making contact with Speedy several times," Batman said. "From the information we have gathered, we can be certain that Green Arrow is physically abusing him."

"I saw him," Robin said quietly. Only Batman and Flash could detect the slight quiver in his young voice. "Green Arrow got mad at Speedy and he punched him. Then he kicked him twice. Last night he grabbed his neck."

Anger rippled through every member of the League. "We need to do something," Aquaman growled.

"Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, will you three please leave?" Superman asked. The League needed to have tough conversations he wasn't comfortable having in front of the young heroes. Apparently, the three of them didn't want to be around for the conversation either, because they left without argument.

"Superman we have to do something!" Wonder Woman said once she was sure the boys had left.

"We're still back at Square One," Green Lantern sighed frustratedly. "Someone needs to say it, we have no clue what to do! We have the strongest, fastest, and smartest beings on the planet, and then some, in this room, and we can't figure out how to get a teenager away from a vigilante!"

"You know why we can't go take him," Batman growled. Superman put a hand on his arm. He was the only one who could do so without worrying about losing his hand.

"We're all frustrated," the Man of Steel said, trying to diffuse the situation. "We need a solid plan. As Green Lantern said, the most powerful beings on Earth are in this room, let's use it."

"We need solid evidence," Flash said. "Our speculation and what Robin saw isn't solid. It can all be explained away or denied by Speedy. Furthermore-"

"Did you just say furthermore?" Green Lantern asked.

"When we get Roy away from Oliver, he will come after him. Trust me. This is coming from someone who's dealt with this on a personal and professional level. Oliver will try to get Roy back. If he doesn't physically try to kidnap him or intimidating him into going back, he'll try to contact him in some way. We need solid evidence. Something Roy can't deny and can't be explained away."

"Is it just me, or is he making sense?"

"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day," Wonder Woman muttered.

"He's right," Batman said. Everyone stared at him in shock. Hearing Batman say anyone was right was rare; to hear him say Flash was right never happened. "We need something that can we can use to blackmail Queen into staying away from Roy."

"It'd have to be pretty damning," Aquaman pointed out.

"What about a video or recording?" Flash suggested. "Video and audio evidence is almost indisputable."

"How?" Green Lantern asked. "Break into his house?"

"No….?"

"We can't exactly walk in through the front door."

"No, we can't," Batman agreed. His mind immediately thought of something and he looked around. "But Bruce Wayne can."

— —

After they left the room, Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash followed the hall into an open space. The three of them sat on the ground in a circle.

"This case has the Justice League very emotional," Aqualad observed. "Even Aquaman has been near the Star City Harbor a lot more than usual."

"It's a crummy situation," Kid Flash muttered.

"It's sad," Robin said. "You should see how scared Speedy is when he talks about Green Arrow. He acts tough but you can tell he's scared."

"Green Arrow is terrifying. I don't know how you can go into Star."

"It's not that bad. He never even knows I'm there." He smiled at the young speedster. "You should come with me."

"No! Flash would be really mad! Oh yeah, and Green Arrow is a psycho!"

"I've dealt with actual psychos, so that's not true. Come on, if we get other kid heroes to talk to Speedy, it might get him to come with us."

Aqualad frowned. "Are you certain it would help?"

Robin nodded. "It's like Batman said. There's a reason he didn't know we existed. Green Arrow controls what he knows about outside heroes. He knows that if Speedy understood what an actual sidekick/mentor relationship looks like he'd know what Green Arrow is doing is wrong. He'd leave."

Kid Flash considered it. "Makes sense I guess."

"So you'll come?''

"I don't know-"

"We'll be there and back before Flash even knows you're gone."

"….Fine. I'll come with you. Only once though, just to show Speedy what real heroes are supposed to be like."

"What about you Aqualad?"

"I am sorry Robin, but I can not disobey my king," Aqualad replied. "I do wish the two of you luck and ask that you be careful."

"We'll be perfectly safe."

"Perfectly safe isn't exactly how I would describe this," Kid Flash muttered. He started tapping his fingers off his knees. "What do you think the League will do if we can't get Speedy to leave?"

"We'll get him to leave."

Kid Flash ducked his head. "It might not be that simple Robin."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?!"

"Because it's true!"

"Peace!" Aqualad interjected.

"All that I'm saying is if this doesn't work-"

"Which it will."

"What will the League do?"

"It is hard to say," Aqualad answered. "I admit I find it very concerning the League has let this go on for so long."

Kid Flash nodded. "I can't believe Flash hasn't done anything before now."

"They would've if they could've," Robin said. "Batman would never leave Speedy in that situation."

"Aren't you upset this has been going on for almost two years and they haven't actively done anything?"

The Boy Wonder nodded. "Yeah. I don't understand why Batman would let something like this happen." He sat up straighter and stiffened. "We won't give up on Speedy though. No matter what, we'll help him." Kid Flash and Aqualad nodded. Batman and Flash came around the corner. Their partners stood up, running to meet them. Kid Flash managed to stop right in front of his mentor, nearly knocking him over again.

"Brakes," Flash muttered as he led his nephew to the zeta tubes. "We need to work on brakes."

"Bye Robin!" Kid Flash called.

"Bye Kid Mouth!" Robin yelled back. He looked up at Batman. "Are we leaving?"

"Yes."

"Patrol then?"

"No."

"Oh…" Robin followed his mentor to the zeta tube dejectedly.

"I have business to take care of when we got home."

"Ok." Robin really missed being on patrol with Batman. Taking down criminals on the bleak streets of Gotham. He knew his current case was important though. Speedy's life was more or less in danger from Green Arrow. A lot was depending on him getting through to the young archer. He walked through the zeta and into the bat cave. He removed his mask and looked at his mentor. "What're you doing?" he asked as Bruce checked something on the Bat computer really quick.

"The League has a plan to get solid evidence against Oliver Queen."

"What is it?"

"I'll explain tomorrow. Go to bed."

Dick sighed. "Fine."

"By the way, you'll be missing a few days of school."

Dick smiled. Whatever this was, it would be good. Both Bruce and Dick changed out of their suits and went upstairs into the Manor. Bruce sat down at his desk in the study as Dick left to get ready for bed. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number he honestly never thought he'd be calling.

"This is Oliver Queen," Oliver said upon answering.

"Queen, this is Bruce Wayne," Bruce replied.

"Wayne? Little late for a call, don't you think?"

"I was up working late. I was thinking about that deal we've been negotiating?"

Oliver sighed. "You mean the one you've been dragging out for an extra two months?"

Bruce chuckled. "You can't blame me for trying to get the most out of this that I can."

"I suppose not. What about the deal?"

"I don't think we need to keep going through lawyers and representatives. Why don't we work this out man to man."

"Hm…."

"Come on. I'll be in the area later this week anyway. I promise my ward I'd take him to the San Fransisco Zoo. We can stop in Star City, and you and I can work this out."

"It would be nice to get this deal signed and sealed…"

"It'll be great! You have a ward right?"

There was a slight pause. "Yes. Roy."

"Well, our wards can spend some time together while we work this out. Everyone wins!"

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Roy is really shy-"

"Come on Oliver. Dick is really friendly and he loves making new friends."

Oliver sighed. Bruce smiled. It would look a little too suspicious if Oliver denied this. "Fine. Sounds like a plan."

"See you in three days."

"Hhm. I'll be in touch." He hung up and Bruce set his phone down.

"Going somewhere, sir?" Alfred asked.

"Dick and I will be going to star City in three days. We're bugging Queen's house."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"I do. We need evidence."

"Very good sir. Do you require anything else?"

"No, thank you, Alfred."

"I shall retire then sir."

"Good night Alfred." Once he was alone, Bruce sat at his desk for a few minutes. This was dangerous. They were going into Oliver's city and home. Dick had done the former before, but this time with Oliver's knowledge. He stood up and left the room. 'Dick will need to prepped extensively,' he noted. 'We can't let either Roy or Oliver know in any capacity we know what's going on.' He stopped on the way to his room by Dick's door. He opened the door silently, casting a column of light into the room. He could make out the small mop of black hair; dwarfed by the giant bed. The Manor was so silent he could hear Dick's even breathing. It was good. Even breathing meant no nightmares and a good night's sleep for the boy. He shut the door as silently as he had opened it. As he went to his own room, part of him wondered if Roy slept that soundly. 'Probably not. He probably sleeps with one eye open.' He rubbed his eyes. Both he and Dick were getting close to this case. It was dangerous, but he couldn't pull back. Dick connected to Roy and Bruce….Bruce was angered at the bad name Oliver Queen gave billionaire-playboys-who-secretly-act-as-vigilantes. It was hard for anyone in the League not to get emotionally close. Flash due to his and Kid Flash's personal histories with this area. Superman because….well he was the big blue boy scout. Aquaman due to his relationship with Aqualad. Wonder Woman due to her strong views on the protection of children. (Which Batman was all too familiar with due to Robin.) The other members, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, due to the League's strong moral pull that made child abuse a heinous offense.

'Or anyone who isn't a degenerate human being.' In this particular case though, he reasoned that emotion could help. They couldn't slack off. Not with the life of an innocent teen on the line. Bruce almost smiled. 'Let's see if Queen can keep up the charade with us around.'


	6. Bats Meet Arrows

Roy rubbed his arm in discomfort as he walked down the hall. He usually wore t-shirts and tank tops around the mansion. Long-sleeve button up with a collar…not so much. He fiddled with it again, trying to keep it from rubbing his neck. He walked into the living room where Oliver was waiting.

"Stop," Oliver said sternly. He started fixing Roy's collar.

"Do I really have to wear this?" He got a stern look and lowered his eyes. "Sorry."

"Yes." Oliver maneuvered the collar just right so that it was covering the back of Roy's neck; hiding the fingertip shaped bruises there. "While Bruce Wayne and his ward are here you are to be on your best behavior."

"Yes, Oliver." Oliver suddenly grabbed his jaw and Roy's heart started pounding. Oliver wouldn't hit him when they were about to have company? Right?

"You will not tell either of them anything."

Roy nodded. "Nothing about Green Arrow and Speedy." His winced as the grip got tighter.

"Not that, you moron. You won't tell them about how I…discipline you. Understand?"

"Yes, Oliver."

"If you do tell them then I'll-"

"What, kill me?" Roy clenched his jaw and flinched. Whoops.

Oliver's eye narrowed. "What've I told you about talking back to me?"

"I-I…I didn't mean it. Ollie please-" The door bell ringing interrupted them. Oliver released him.

"Wipe that stupid, scared look off your face. I'll deal with you once our….guests leave." Oliver left the room and Roy had to take a minute to calm himself down. He felt like he was going to throw up. He schooled his face as best as he could. He walked slowly to the front door. 'This is ok,' he decided. 'Being nervous goes well with Oliver's story about me having social anxiety.' He stopped at the top of the stairs. In the foyer stood a man who made Roy nervous. His size dwarfed the boy standing next to him. The boy shook hands with Oliver, who smiled stiffly. He glanced back and spotted Roy. "Come down here Roy." The teen walked down the stairs slowly. "Don't just stand there! Introduce yourself!"

"Come on Ollie, I'm sure he's just nervous," the other man said. He held out his hand. Roy flinched involuntarily. He saw Oliver shoot him a dirty look. He bit down his fear.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," he said quietly as he shook the man's hand. His heart pounded slightly at how much bigger Bruce's hand was than his. The boy walked right up to Roy, smiling politely.

"I'm Richard Grayson," the boy said, extending his hand. "You can call me Dick."

A smile quivered at Roy's lips for a moment. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Roy."

"Roy, why don't you and Dick go upstairs while Bruce and I take care of business."

Roy nodded. "Yes Oliver." He gestured to Dick who followed him closely. The smaller boy, seriously this kid was tiny, stuck close to him.

"Nice place," Dick said. "Is it just you and Mr. Queen?"

Roy nodded. "Just us."

"Oh. Bruce has a butler named Alfred. He's great."

"That's…nice."

"Maybe some time you can come to our house! Alfie makes the best cookies!"

'Cookies,' Roy scoffed. 'I wasn't even allowed to eat dinner last night.' He couldn't say that to Dick though. "That'd be fun."

Dick beamed at him. God, no wonder the press loved him. "Maybe we can have a sleepover so I don't have to go to a charity ball. Those things are so boring, right?"

"I don't go to those."

"Lucky! Bruce always makes me go! It's awful!"

'Oh poor you.' Roy winced internally and tried to reel in his bitterness. 'For all you know Bruce is just as bad as Oliver.' He glanced at Dick, discreetly looking for signs. 'God I hope not. This kid is so small, I think Mr. Wayne could kill him easily.' He blinked. 'Wow that's the same thing I thought about Robin and Batman. Why do all the people I meet have to be like this?' He led Dick into his bedroom, figuring it was as good as anything else to talk him. "This is my room."

"Whoa!" Dick was actually shocked. Books and magazines filled the shelves. The shelves around the tv were filled with video games and two different game systems; as well as a DVD player. There were also shelves of DVDs to match. A top of the line stereo was on a shelf with CDs. Two bows were mounted on the wall on pegs. There was a laptop on his desk and a tablet on top of that. 'He has more things than I do and Bruce is always offering to buy me toys.' Roy sat down in a beanbag and gestured for Dick to join him. "You have a lot of stuff." And a good majority of it, he was just now noticing, was unused or unopened.

Roy looked around. "Yeah, I guess."

"Mr. Queen must give you a lot of presents."

"Well, he's rich so…I'm sure Mr. Wayne buys you a lot of stuff too."

Dick stood up and walked around the room; seemingly admiring it. "Yeah, but not this much." It was weird. If Oliver apparently hated Roy so much, why would he spoil him with presents like this? He ran his hand along a shelf, making it look like he read book titles. "That's really nice of Mr. Queen though." He discreetly slipped a small device from a hidden pocket in his sleeve and put it on the shelf where Roy was certain not to find it. The books were all covered in dust, so Dick doubted Roy even touched these books. He paused in front of the two bows. "You like archery?"

Roy nodded. "I do. It's a…hobby."

"Cool. I'm an acrobat."

"Cool."

Dick noticed one of the bows looked older and more worn than the other. Something in his gut told him the older bow wasn't a gift from Oliver. He slipped another bug under the desk. "Bruce told me you don't go to school, that's cool."

Roy nodded stiffly. "I….uh….I have social anxiety and Oliver just tries to protect me…"

"What's social anxiety?"

"It means people scare me."

Dick liked back at him as he slipped another bug to the back side of Roy's lamp. "Do I scare you?"

Roy blinked. 'Yes. You being here makes it way more likely that I'll do something to slip up.' He cleared his throat. "No, I guess." Dick smiled at him.

"Good." He sat back down across from Roy. "So, what'd you want to do?"

Roy glanced around, as if unsure of something. "We could….we could play a video game." That wasn't a bad idea actually. He would actually really like to have someone to play with. "Do you play?"

Dick nodded. "Sure!"

Roy got up and searched his games. 'I'm going to assume the 10-year-old isn't allowed to play games that are really violent.' He finally found one of those soccer games and held it up. "How about this?"

"Sounds great."

Roy nodded. He avoided games like these since they weren't the same with only one person. He set the game up and grabbed two wireless controllers. He handed one to Dick and sat down in his bean bag. "You know how to play?"

"Play? Please I don't play, I dominate."

A smile tweaked at Roy's lips. "We'll see."

— —

It took every ounce of self-control Bruce had not to strangle Oliver. He'd watched the man shaking Dick's hand carefully. Then he saw Roy and his stomach had shriveled up. The teen was withdrawn and nervous. It was obvious that he was scared of Oliver, and of Bruce himself. He definitely caught Roy's flinch when he put his hand out. Luckily Dick stepped in and diverted attention away from him. Then there were the dark bruises on his face. It was disheartening to see. The boys left and Bruce followed Oliver to his office. As they walked through the mansion, Bruce began to feel doubt about his plan. He'd known that Roy was isolated, but actually seeing Oliver's mansion situated on the edge of Star City and this huge, empty house where Roy only had Oliver to talk too…. He was starting to think the teen's relationship with Oliver might be a bit stronger than he'd originally accounted for. It would make things easier if they could just confront Oliver about it now. It would be so easy.

All Roy had to do was tell Dick something in confidence. All Dick had to do was react like a normal kid and come running to Bruce. He knew it wouldn't happen though. Roy would never tell Dick what was happening. He was willing to bet Oliver had threatened the teen before he and Dick had arrived. For his part, Dick wouldn't overreact like a normal kid. Bruce had spent hours going over not only how to plant the bugs without being seen, but how to act and what to say so that they didn't tip their hand. So he was stuck following Oliver Queen, unable to teach him a lesson. As he passed a fireplace, he grazed his hand along it, planting a small camera under the mantle. He cleared his throat. "Roy seems like a nice kid."

Oliver grunted as he sat down behind his desk. "He can be a handful."

'I'm sure.' Bruce sat down across from him. "Really? He seems so quiet and polite." Because you beat it into him was really hard not to add.

"That's because I'm strict with him. I have to be to keep him in line."

Bruce had to remind himself not to punch Oliver. "I'm sure he's not that bad."

"Teenagers are a lot harder than children. You can give yours a toy and it'll occupy him for hours." He started looking through papers, so he missed the look that Bruce was giving him.

"Maybe Roy wouldn't have as much energy if he got out of the house more."

Oliver shook his head. "I can't do that. He has severe social anxiety-"

"I've heard. Aren't there professionals that can help him?"

"Roy is very withdrawn, as I'm sure you've noticed." Bruce clenched his fist. "Besides, given who I am, it's better if he stays out of the spotlight. How many times has your ward been kidnapped in the past two years? Five?"

"Three." Three times too many.

"I keep Roy out of the spotlight so things like that don't happen. It's for his own protection. You know how things are. Nothing about our lives are private. I take him to a professional and the next day the headlines are saying he's a psycho or something."

It killed Bruce inside, but he had to agree with that. "I can see your point." He slid a file across the desk to Oliver. "You have to know people talk when they haven't seen him since you took him in."

"Let them talk. Besides, he has more gadgets and things to keep him busy than any kid could ever want. He's perfectly happy living the way he is."

Again, Bruce had to keep his face composed and his body calm. "I'm sure."

Oliver frowned as he looked over the papers Bruce brought. "Why are you so interested in Roy anyways?"

"Just making polite conversation Ollie."

"Don't call me that. We're not friends." Bruce agreed with that. "We're barely associates. You don't see me questioning your parenting."

"I'm not questioning you." He was lucky he wasn't getting beat to death. "I'm just being sociable and trying to understand why Roy hasn't been to any social events or been seen at all really."

"So you're spying on me?"

Bruce laughed. "Come on Oliver. I'm just asking questions."

"What happens between me and Roy is no one else's business." Bruce resisted the urge to point out how self-incriminatingly defensive that sounded.

"Even if we're not friends, it might do Roy some good if he and Dick become friends. All teens need friends, no matter how shy they are."

"Yes…because my 14-year-old ward wants to spend time with your 10-year-old ward. You know, they have so much in common."

"Sarcasm is really beneath you."

"Shows how much you know me."

'I know there's very little that's beneath you at this point.' He took a deep breath. "I was just making a suggestion. If you're this hard to talk to, it's no wonder this deal hasn't been signed yet."

Oliver glared at him. "You're the one who kept changing the terms."

Bruce smiled. "I'm also the one with all the cards."

"It's my mine!"

"But they're my factories and my distribution."

Oliver mumbled something under his breath. "Let's just stay focused on business."

"Of course." That lasted for a few minutes before Bruce decided to make Oliver squirm a little bit. "I noticed Roy has some bruises on his face."

"And?" Oliver didn't even look up from the papers he was looking over.

"What happened? Looks like it must've hurt."

"He was horsing around while I was at work."

"Really?"

Oliver nodded. "Like I told you, he's a handful."

Bruce was glad he was reading the papers and not looking up so he could glare at him. "I'm sure."

— —

"Yes!" Dick cheered. "I won again."

Roy rolled his eyes. "I let you win."

"Did you let me win all 8 times?"

"You didn't win 8 times! You only won 6. I won the first 2."

"Whatever." Dick noticed Roy pulled at the sleeves of his shirt again. The teen had been doing it the whole time the two of them played. "Are you hot?"

"Huh?"

"You're wearing long sleeves. It's kind of warm in here."

"I'm fine."

"You could roll the sleeve up."

Roy knew he could, except for the finger-shaped bruises on his wrists. "I'm fine, really. This shirt is just scratchy."

"Then why don't you change?"

"Because I don't want to! Jeez, are you always this nosy?!"

Dick blinked. "Sorry. I'll stop." Roy sighed and rubbed his head. Dick glanced over. He spotted a dark spot that was mostly hidden by Roy's collar. 'That's why he's wearing the shirt.'

"Let's just go back to playing."

"Ok. Are you going to let me win again?"

"After this? In your dreams."

Dick decided to press Roy a little more. "Why do you have those bruises on your face?"

Roy didn't even blink. "I fell."

"You fell?"

"Yes. Now stop asking." Dick let the issue drop, remembering Bruce's instructions to not give away anything.

The two were halfway through the game, Roy was up three points when Oliver and Bruce came in. "Time to go Dick," Bruce said.

"Awww," Dick moaned as Roy paused the game. "Really?"

"Mhm. You still want to go to the zoo, right?"

Dick jumped to his feet. "Of course!"

Oliver chuckled. "I'll show you out." Roy followed, figuring he should say bye to Dick. He and Dick lagged behind Oliver and Bruce on the way to the front door. Bruce and Oliver shook hands once they got there. "Nice doing business with you Bruce."

"Likewise," Bruce replied. "I'll get the papers to my lawyers first thing Monday morning."

"Same." Oliver smiled and shook Dick's hand as well. "Very nice to meet you, Dick."

"Nice to meet you too Mr. Queen."

Bruce shook Roy's hand. "Nice to meet you, Roy." He kept his face schooled. He wanted so badly to tell the teenager that they were going to get him out of this prison.

"You too Mr. Wayne," Roy replied.

Dick waved at him. "Bye Roy." He did his best to sound upbeat. He hated having to leave, knowing what was going to happen once they did. "Next time we play video games I'll get you."

Roy snorted. "You wish kid."

Bruce chuckled. "Come on Dick." Bruce put his hand on Dick's back and led him out.

Oliver shut the door after they left. He sighed and looked at Roy, all sense of happiness gone from his face. "I have work to do in my office. I don't want to hear a peep out of you. Is that understood?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, Oliver."

"Go." Roy started when walking away, but stopped when Oliver said his name. "And Roy? Come to my office after I eat dinner tonight."

"Yes, Oliver." Roy went upstairs, dread building in his stomach. 'I,' he thought bitterly. 'He said I. Guess that means no dinner for me. Again.' His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten lunch either, so he was going to be starving in the morning. He got back to his room and shut the door, trying to be sure Oliver wouldn't hear him. He put the second controller away. 'At least now I can get this shirt off.' Once he'd put on a loose tank top he spent the rest of his afternoon sitting nervously around his bedroom, trying to keep his mind off what was coming. 'Stupid,' he thought, carefully unstringing his longbow. 'I'm so stupid. Why would I talk back to him?' He restrung the bow. 'I'm so stupid.' He could probably go down to one of the empty halls and shoot, but he didn't want to risk making Oliver angry. So he settled for restringing his bows and pacing nervously. Eventually, he glanced at the clock and sighed. "He's probably done eating." His feet dragged as he left his room. His heart was pounding. He wanted more than anything to just go and hide. Which he had once, but it ended up being worse for him. He stopped outside Oliver's office and hesitated before knocking.

"Come in," Oliver said. He was standing by the fireplace when Roy walked. "Shirt off."

"Ollie please, I didn't mean-"

"Shirt off."

"Ollie-" A glare was sent his way and Roy swallowed his plea.

"Shirt. Off." Roy nodded and pulled his shirt off with shaking fingers. "Kneel." Roy got down on his knees. He closed his eyes and gripped his knees. "This is for your own good." The muscles in his back tensed involuntarily. Pain slapped across his back and he gripped his knees tighter. He flinched every time the belt cracked against his back. Pain sliced into the muscles and radiated through the area. He eventually couldn't hold back a cry of pain, and it was impossible to stop it at all after that. Deep down he knew Oliver didn't care if he screamed because no one would be able to hear it, but he couldn't help but think it was making his guardian even angrier. After a few minutes, he could feel blood running down his back. This felt like it was going on forever.

"Oliver please!" he gasped. "Please- ah! Please stop! I'm sorry!"

When Oliver finally stopped, Roy had to take a minute to take a deep breath. He stood up on unsteady legs, wincing as blood dribbled over the new welts; grabbing his shirt as he did. When he turned around Oliver grabbed his jaw and looked him in the eye. "Do not talk back to me Roy. I won't take attitude from an ungrateful bastard like you. Understood?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, Oliver."

"And for the record, you will never tell anyone what happens here. If you do, then I might kill you." Roy wanted to hide. "Or, maybe I'll throw you out on the street, and tell every piece of scum in Star who Speedy really is. Got it?" Roy nodded. "Say it."

"I will never tell anyone what happens in here."

"Go to bed. I don't want to deal with you anymore." Oliver shoved him away and Roy left quickly.

He went upstairs and shut his bedroom door, desperately wishing it had a lock. He went to his bathroom and turned on the shower. The pain was embedded in his back, making its way through his body. He stripped and turned around, looking at his back in the mirror. He winced at the open welts that dripped with blood. It really made the scars stand out. He stood in the shower, letting the hot water run down his back. He cried out a little bit and flinched, but it was the easiest way to clean his back. He was suddenly exhausted and sat down, curling up into a ball. He stayed like that, letting the hot water run down his back until it was cold. He took a shaking breath. "I will never tell anyone what happens here. I will never tell anyone what happens here."


	7. The Video

Batman was known for withholding information from the Justice League. Secrets were how he functioned, whether his teammates liked it or not. When it really counted though, he knew which information he should share with them. That being said, he didn't want to share the video with them. Not because he wanted to keep secrets from them, this time, but because it was a terrible thing to watch. He rubbed his eyes as if the motion could wipe the images from his mind.

'Get it together Wayne,' he growled at himself silently. 'You think this is bad? You're only watching it. Roy is living it.' He heard the familiar sounds of hurrying footsteps and quickly made the video disappear. He stowed it away in a file where he could get it later and pulled his cowl down over his face. It was easier to be unemotional and focused as the Dark Knight.

"Are we leaving?" Robin asked, pulling his cape over his shoulders. "Batman?"

Batman wasn't sure why, but Robin looked really small. The boy was small for his age. but to the Dark Knight, tonight he looked even smaller. More vulnerable than usual. "Yes." Robin whooped and did a back-handspring to the Bat mobile.

"To the Bat mobile!"

Batman followed at an even pace. Robin jumped in and Batman followed. The bird looked at him as they drove towards the zeta tube. "What're you going to tell the League?"

Batman considered his answer carefully. "The League and I will review the footage from the hidden camera. Hopefully, it'll provide us with the information we need to keep Green Arrow in line after Speedy's removed from his care."

"What'll you do with Speedy once he leaves Star?"

"To be determined. For now we have to focus all our energy on getting him to safety."

"Ok. Am I going back to Star tomorrow?"

Batman nodded. He parked in an alley and activated the Bat mobile's cloaking device. He got out, following Robin to the zeta tube. He authorized rain to get through and followed him.

"Robin, B01."

"Batman, 02."

Batman grabbed Robin by his cape, stopping him from running to the League meeting room. "I want you to wait out here."

"Why?"

"The things the League will be discussing isn't for you to be a part of."

"I've seen bad stuff."

Batman didn't need the reminder. "I want you to stay out here."

"What about Aqualad and Kid Flash?"

"They'll be staying out here with you."

"What're we doing?" Aquaman asked. He stopped next to Batman and Aqualad stopped behind his mentor.

"Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad will be staying outside during the meeting. What we're discussing isn't for them."

Aquaman looked at his protege. "Wait out here with Robin and Kid Flash."

Aqualad bowed his head and put his fist over his chest. "Yes, my king." Aquaman followed Batman into the meeting room. "Do you know what it is they are discussing?"

Robin shook his head. "Probably something about Speedy."

"Kid Flash, B03."

"Flash, 05."

Wally suddenly appeared next to Aqualand. "Hey guys!" the young speedster yelled.

"Kid Flash please speak quieter."

"Indoor voice Kid," Flash reminded him.

"Batman has requested that Robin, Kid Flash, and I stay outside the meeting room," Aqualad told Flash.

"Awww! Why?!" Kid Flash demanded.

"I'm sure Bats has his reasons," Flash assured his nephew. "Wait out here and…try not to get into trouble." The scarlet speedster ran off and Kid Flash frowned.

"Why don't they want us to hear?"

"I am positive the League is acting within our best interest."

Kid Flash scoffed. "Whatever. What're we supposed to do? Sit here and do nothing?"

Robin smiled mischievously. "We could go exploring."

"I do not think the League would approve if we did," Aqualad argued.

"We won't get into trouble. I think the Watchtower has a gym somewhere." He went to the nearest control console and connected it to his wrist computer. After a few key strokes, he found a layout of the Watchtower. "Jackpot."

"How'd you do that?!" Kid Flash asked excitedly.

"They don't call me Boy Wonder for nothing." He copied the layout into his wrist computer. "Ok, let's go!"

"Alright!" Kid Flash owned Robin, who stopped and looked back at Aqualad. "

"You coming or what?"

Aqualad sighed but still nodded. "Yes." He followed the two boys as Robin mapped their way to the gym.

— —

Once everyone was seated Batman started connecting to the Bat Computer from the Watchtower computer. "Our mission to infiltrate Queen's house and bug it was a success." He didn't mention how filthy it'd made him feel to have to pretend to be friends with that waste of oxygen. "I have acquired unquestionable proof against Green Arrow."

"Let's see it then!" Green Lantern said.

Batman looked around at all of them. "I don't say that lightly. I'll remind you all," he looked at Superman. "we're in space." He brought up the video so the League was watching on their screens and pressed play. It started off fine. The could see Oliver standing in a room, seemingly distracted by something. He stopped and looked off camera somewhere.

"Come in," he said, voice a little distorted. Everyone held their breath as Roy walked on camera. He was slightly hunched over and looked scared. "Shirt off."

"What-" Superman began but Batman silenced him with a look.

"Oliver please, I didn't mean-" Roy sounded terrified.

"Shirt off."

"Oliver-"

Barry shook his head. "Poor kid," he breathed.

"Shirt. Off." Roy did as he was told. "Kneel." Batman could feel the confusion and apprehension coming off everyone as Roy knelt on the ground. His shirt was balled up in his hands.

"Son of a bitch," Barry hissed as Oliver took his belt off. Everyone was too shocked to notice their resident speedster swearing.

"This is for your own good," Oliver said on the screen.

"I'll give him something for his own good," Wonder Woman muttered darkly.

Oliver folded his belt and raised it above his head. No one moved when it came down on Roy's back. It seemed as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. They could hear the crack loud and clear. Batman tried to ingrain every flinch and cry of pain from Roy. Martian Manhunter noticed Green Lantern's ring glowing out of the corner of his eye. The League sat like statues as they watched Oliver beat Roy with his belt. Superman felt his heart break at every cry of pain from the boy. It was almost as strong as his anger at Oliver. He clenched his fists. Barry was just barely keeping himself from vibrating. Then Roy started begging and his blood went cold.

"Oliver please! Please- ah! Please stop! I'm sorry!"

Flash couldn't really see Roy. He could only see a quivering boy with red hair. A boy who was scared and alone and being beaten by someone he should be able to trust. He didn't just vibrate, he had lightning jumping off him in small arcs. Oliver finally stopped, but no one relaxed. Roy stood up and as he turned around they got a glimpse of his back; covered in cuts, wells, and blood. Wonder Woman and Aquaman both hissed in their respective languages, but everyone could guess what they were saying.

"Do not talk back to me Roy," Oliver growled on the screen. "I won't take attitude from an ungrateful bastard like you. Understood?"

Batman felt his blood boil. 'What right does he have to call Roy ungrateful?!'

Roy nodded. "Yes Oliver."

"And for the record, you will never tell anyone what happens here. If you do, then I might kill you." Roy wanted to hide. "Or, maybe I'll throw you out on the street, and tell every piece of scum in Star who Speedy really is."

"He wouldn't!" Green Lantern gasped. Batman turned the video off. Before anyone could move or speak, Flash dashed out of the room. Superman heard the zeta tube announcing his departure back to the planet. "Oliver wouldn't really turn Roy loose and let the criminals in Star tear him apart, right?"

"After what we just saw I don't think anything is beneath him," Superman replied.

"Should someone go after Flash?" Martian Manhunter asked. Everyone looked at Green Lantern.

He sighed and stood up. "I'll make sure he doesn't do something stupid." He let the light from his ring surrounded him and flew out of the room.

Superman sighed. "Meeting…dismissed."

"We're not going to discuss anything?" Aquaman asked.

"There's nothing to discuss," Wonder Woman said. "We just watched a grown man beat a child until he bled. What more is there to say?"

Superman saw Batman tense. He got the impression there was something the Dark Knight wasn't telling them. "We have our proof. Everyone go home." Everyone stood up and started leaving slowly. Superman watched Batman go stand in front of a window. He made sure everyone left before approaching the vigilante. "What aren't you telling us?"

"I was there," Batman growled. "I was there and I did nothing."

"Batman you can't blame yourself."

"I was there! I could've stopped this!"

"You of all people remind us how delicate this situation is. You couldn't-"

"I should've!" He looked away from the alien. "What if it was something I did?"

"How-"

"What if it was something I did to upset Queen that caused him to go off on Roy?"

"You can't think like that. We both know that it sounded like Roy had done something make him angry earlier."

Batman sighed deeply. "We have to save him."

"We will."

"No! You don't understand."

Superman frowned. "What'd you mean?"

"Think about it Superman. Why would Oliver Queen, a man who has everything, including practical protection from the Justice League, risk it all to bring a child into the mix?" Superman frowned. That was….actually a good question. "What reason could he have? Why would he train Roy and force him to fight like him?Think about it."

When he did, Superman was horrified by what Batman was implying. "You mean…he….he wants Roy to become….him?"

Batman nodded. "He wants Roy to kill."

Superman thought about it. They'd never seen Roy kill. They had footage of Green Arrow killing sure, but never Roy. Batman even pointed out when Roy looked away when Green Arrow killed someone. "Roy wouldn't do it."

"You say that like he has a choice."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Oliver Queen threatened to kill him he so much as whispered about what was going on in there. Roy's in no position to tell Oliver no."

Superman rubbed this face. "Why would he do this?"

"Maybe he got lonely. The more likely answer is that he wants a successor. Someone to continue his work in the event of his death."

"That would make sense. Why Roy though?"

"He got lucky. He managed to find a 12-year-old archer with amazing talent who looked up to him. Someone who trusted him completely. I don't think Roy knew the full extent of what the Green Arrow did beyond stopping bad guys with a bow and arrows. He fell right into the trap."

"And Oliver's been using abuse and manipulation to keep Roy in his place without question."

Batman nodded. "All so he could get the boy to kill."

"We have to get him out of there. Who knows when Oliver will start trying to make Roy cross that line."

"It'll be soon. Roy's 14. He's been with Oliver for almost two years. Oliver's worn him down enough that he won't fight back."

"We don't have a lot of time."

Batman shook his head as he gazed into the cold, unforgiving darkness of space. "No. we don't."

— —

The three young heroes made it to the gym and Robin's face split into a fanatical grin. He turned off his wrist computer off and took off running. There was a large climbing apparatus in the center that was several stories tall. He jumped up and launched himself into the air. He wrapped his legs around one of the bars and hung upside, smirking at an astonished Kid Flash. "Impressed?"

"Whoa! Thatwastotallyawesome! Aqualaddidyouseethat?!"

Aqualad blinked. He didn't speak speedster, so he turned his attention to the young vigilante. "Your acrobatics were quite impressive Robin."

"Thanks." He slipped his legs out and caught himself on his hands. He pushed off and scaled to the top. "You two coming or what?"

Kid Flash looked up at him apprehensively. "I don't climb dude. I run."

"And you fall."

"Hey!" Kid Flash stopped when he saw that Aqualad was suddenly climbing. Robin smiled and did a summersault down the side, getting a scared gasp out of Kid Flash, before hooking his legs around a bar again. He smiled at Aqualad, who he was now inches from. "Dude! Don't do that!"

"What?" Robin let out a cackle and it sent shivers down Kid Flash's spine.

"Jeez! Why do you do that?!"

"Sorry. Probably a side-effect of too many encounters with joker venom."

Aqualad frowned from where he had settled just below Robin. "Joker venom?"

"The gas Joker uses to try and asphyxiate all of Gotham."

"Who is Joker?"

Kid Flash blinked. "You don't know who the Joker is?!"

"I have only just met all of you."

Robin had to admit that was true. He suddenly became very serious and looked Aqualad in the eye. "The Joker is a crazy clown who kills people in Gotham on a monthly basis."

"Oh."

Kid Flash shivered. "The only person scarier than the Green Arrow. Joker."

"I could give you a list," Robin said. He did a roll over a bar and flipped down onto another bar. "Speaking of Green Arrow, you're coming with me tomorrow, right?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Good. Meet me at the old paper mill on the edge of the city. After Superman drops me off I'll slip away and come get you."

"Ok. You promise Green Arrow won't catch us?"

"If he does you'll be the first to know."

Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"You have super speed genius. If he does catch us you can be back in Central City before he has time to draw his bow."

Kid Flash shuffled his feet. "I guess you're right."

"11:30. Be there."

"I will."

Robin flipped up to another bar, then froze. "Someone's coming." The three young heroes looked at the door just as Aquaman and Wonder Woman came in.

"Found them," Wonder Woman smiled. Robin jumped off and flipped through the air. He landed next to Kid Flash.

"Aquaman," Aqualad began as he jumped down, but stopped when his mentor put his hand up.

"It's fine Aqualad. I'm glad you're getting to know Kid Flash and Robin better. We must return home now."

"Good-bye Robin. Good-bye Kid Flash."

"Bye Aqualad!" Kid Flash yelled.

"Kid he's a foot from you!" Robin snapped.

"Sorry. Hey! If the meeting's over I should go find Flash!"

Wonder Woman and Aquaman shared a look. They needed to buy time until Green Lantern found Flash and calmed him down. "Kid Flash, why don't you come with me?" Wonder Woman suggested. "I'll get you a snack."

"Snack?! I'm there!"

"Excellent. While you eat I'll tell you about my greatest conquests."

"Sweet!" He followed the Amazonian out of the room, practically vibrating with excitement.

Robin smirked. "Food. The fastest way to distract a speedster."

"Let the information never fall into the hands of our enemies," Aquaman said solemnly.

"I should find Batman." Robin ran back towards the meeting room to find his mentor. He stopped outside the room and quietly opened the door. It was only open half an inch when he froze.

"-he wants Roy to become….him?"

Robin froze. The 'he' had to be Green Arrow. Who else would it be? But what did Superman mean by Green Arrow wanted Roy to become him? He heard Batman and got his answer.

"He wants Roy to kill."

Denial flooded through him. No. No Roy wouldn't. He would never. Robin ran away from the door and back down the hall. He stopped by the zeta tube. He couldn't get back to Gotham without Batman. He started pacing while he waited for his mentor. 'Roy would never. He wouldn't. Never.' He was so busy panicking that he didn't notice Superman until he walked straight into the Man of Steel. "Oh. Hi."

"Robin, is everything ok?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"Are you sure?" Superman knelt down to look him in the eye. "I could've sworn I heard a little bird opening the door earlier."

"You heard that?"

Superman nodded. "Super hearing kid."

"Oh." Robin fiddled with the edge of his cape.

"How much did you hear?"

"Just….just how Green Arrow wants Speedy to-to kill. He'd never do it though! I swear he wouldn't! You have to believe me-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there kid."

"Superman I swear he would never-"

"Robin breathe. We all know Roy wouldn't kill." He put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Is that why you're so upset? Did you think that we would blame Roy if he did?" Robin nodded. "Robin we would never do that!"

"Even Batman?"

Superman paused. "Robin we would never do that." He looked the young boy in the mask. "I need you to understand that none of what is happening is Roy's fault. He is being manipulated and intimidated by someone twice his size and with three times his strength and skill. No matter what happens, we will never blame Roy."

"You promise?"

"Promise." He heard Batman approaching and quickly stood up.

The Bat came around the corner and his eyes narrowed when he saw Superman. "What're you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just saying good-bye."

"You've said goodbye now leave."

"Fine, fine. I'll see you two tomorrow night." He smiled at Robin, trying to convey his promise again, then flew up into the air.

"Ready?"

Robin nodded. "To the Bat mobile!" Batman authorized him to get through and Robin disappeared through the zeta. Batman smiled and followed him.


	8. Speedster in Star

A/N: Time for Kid Flash to meet Speedy! So, I know that officially Greg Weisman has said that the speed force doesn't exist in the Young Justice universe, but I think that's stupid, so in my AU it exists. There is a speed force and that's why it's mentioned. With that out of the way, enjoy!

Wally and never been very good at lying to his uncle. Minus the first few years he'd known him of course. Other than that though, he didn't like lying. Especially once he considered all Iris and Barry had done for him. He would get a knot in his stomach when he lied to them. 'This isn't lying,' he argued silently as he brushed his teeth. 'Withholding information isn't the same thing as lying.' He spit the toothpaste out and rinsed his mouth.

"Wally!" Iris called. "Are you ready for bed?!"

"Yeah Aunt I!" Wally ran out of the bathroom, only to trip in the hall way. He fell right into Barry, knocking his uncle down.

"Where's the fire Walls?" Barry asked with a chuckle. He frowned suddenly. "Nothing is on fire in the bathroom, right?"

Wally shook his head. "No." He got up and almost tripped again. Luckily Barry caught him this time. "Stupid pajamas!"

"I thought you like your new pajamas?"

Wally looked down at his red pajamas with flash lightning bolts all over. "The pants are too long."

Barry laughed and took his nephew's arm gently. "Come on, I'll help you get up the stairs." Wally almost slipped several time between the hall and his bedroom, but Barry was there to catch him. Wally sat down on his bed and his uncle knelt down. "You'll grow into them, and your powers, which Iris told you not to use inside by the way."

"Sorry." Barry finished rolling up the hem of his pants.

"I'll have Iris pin them tomorrow."

"What am I doing now?" Iris asked.

"Pinning Wally's pants so he doesn't fall on his face."

Iris smiled and ruffled her nephew's red hair. "We'd never want Wally to fall." He smiled sheepishly and she gave him a kiss on the head.

"Come on Walls, bed time." Barry pulled back the covers, red with the Flash's insignia, and patted the bed. Wally crawled in and snuggled down.

Iris gave him another kiss n the forehead. "Night Wally."

"Night Aunt Iris."

Barry kissed Wally on top of his head. "Sleep tight Kid."

"Night Uncle Barry." Wally pulled his covers up and laid down. He turned his back to the door as his uncle shut off the light. Wally heard the door shut and heard their footsteps and voices leave. He held his breath, waiting to make sure they'd left. Once it was silent for a few minutes, he rolled over and looked at his alarm clock. He still had a few hours before he had to go meet Robin. He sat up in bed and turned on his bedside lamp. He pulled out a molecular chemistry book he'd been reading and settled in. The time passed quickly as he read about the influence of thermal excitation. At one point he heard Iris and Barry go to bed and checked the time. '10:00'. He went back to reading, trying to give them a little bit of the to go to sleep. The next time he checked the time it was 10:30. 'Close enough.' He put the book away and got out of bed. He arranged his pillows under his blankets to make it look like he was till in bed; Barry had the tendency to check on him in the middle of the night. He quickly went to his closest where he hid his suit. He changed into it and paused. No sound or movement from Barry and Iris.

He went to his bedroom window and opened it. He climbed out and stood on the ledge. He looked down at the yard, uneasiness creeping up his insides. 'If I was Robin I could get down no problem.' A deep breath later and he was ready to carefully lower himself down by gripping the ledge of his window and hanging down. He was still a story above the ground. He bit his lip and started moving himself sideways across the ledge, until he reached the edge; about a foot from the railing of the back porch. 'Ok Wally, focus. You can do this.' He swung his body sideways and let go. His feet his the railing and the momentum cased him to fall off into the grass. It knocked the wind out of him for a minute and he lay there. Once he could breathe again he sat up, wincing at the pain in his chest. 'Robin makes this look easy.' He stood up and glanced up at his bedroom window. 'No going back now.' He bushed off his yellow suit and slipped his goggles over his eyes. "Let's do this." He took off running from the backyard and thought the streets of Central City. It wasn't long before he left the city and was sprinting through the open fields of Kansas. He smiled as the wind whipped at his face. He loved running. The speed force electrified his nerves and muscles with kinetic energy. He ran to feel movement.

Whenever he ran though, his mind could't help but go back to a time when he didn't feel so free. He was scared to go to Star. Barry and been warning him about Green Arrow since he'd started out as a hero. Everything about the archer terrified him. He had deadly accuracy across a football field of space and had little disregard for the lives of others. It scared Wally that someone could deal out justice like that for criminals. Barry told him all the time that they weren't judge, jury, and executioner. Apparently someone forgot to tell Green Arrow. Wally firmly believed that if he never met the emerald archer he could live a long and happy life. 'Yet here I am running head first into Star.' Which Barry had expressly told him not to do. Wally could pretty much run anywhere within state lines he wanted. He wasn't supposed to leave the country at all, he couldn't leave the midwest without permission, and he wasn't allowed within 10 miles of Star City. 'Barry would be furious if he found out.' Oh well. There was no turning back now, and not just because he was carefully navigating his way through the Rockies. Ever since he'd found out Roy he couldn't shake the need to run like this. To sprint to Star and grab him. The League's rules be damned!

He knew first hand what it was like to feel trapped. How terrifying it was to not be able to trust the person who you should be able to trust most in the world. He knew how alone it felt when you were trapped and no one was coming. Not even your hero. He swallowed. Green Arrow terrified him. Just the thought of being in the same city as that psycho was petrifying; which was saying a lot for speedsters. He couldn't turn his back on Roy though. He didn't know this guy beyond what limited information the League had given him, although he was pretty sure if he pressed Robin about it the boy wonder would know more, he couldn't abandon him though. Deep down, despite all his apprehensions, Wally didn't care if he got caught by Green Arrow. It would be worth it if he helped Robin get through to Roy. He couldn't not do anything. So he ran straight ahead as fast as he could. He and Robin would find a way to convince Roy to leave Star.

It was easy to find the paper mill Robin had mentioned once he was in the city. He stopped beside it, apprehensively watching the squalor building. 'What is it with Robin and Batman and creepiness?'

"Hey!" Robin hissed, jumping out of the shadows.

Kid Flash jumped back. "Ahh!"

"You wanna quiet it down there Kid Mouth? Superman does have super hearing."

"You gave me a heart attack!"

"You look pretty alive to me."

Kid Flash stuck his tongue out. "Next time don't jump out of the shadows."

"That's what I do!" He grinned and Kid Flash blinked. With his cape covering his tunic, Robin blended in with the shadows behind him. His smile stood out against the darkness in a really creepy way. "Come on, let's get moving!" Robin took off, leaving Kid Flash to follow. He followed the young vigilante into the heart of the city until Robin took out his grapple. He pulled himself up onto the roof and Kid Flash changed course. He ran up the side of the building, reminding himself what Flash always told him. 'Let the speed force do all the work. Keep your steps even and your body forward.' He followed Robin through the city, trying to keep up. He megohm not have been a meta, but the kid was fast. When Robin finally stopped he was waiting for Kid Flash.

"How do you do that?" Kid Flash asked in amazement.

"I'm a man of many talents." Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Wait here, I'm going to get Speedy."

"Why?"

"We need to be somewhere away from the security cameras so Batman doesn't see us."

Kid Flash crossed his arms and shifted on his feet. "Fine. Be quick."

"Chill, Kid Mouth. I'll be back before you can say asterous." Robin backflipped off the building, leaving a very confused Kid Flash behind.

"Asterous? What is Bats teaching that kid?" He was too anxious to stand still, which was a hard thing for speedsters to do in general, so he started pacing. He was so busy pacing and trying not to accidentally burn a hole in the roof that he didn't notice someone approaching.

"Robin!" Kid Flash spun around. Speedy was staring at him in shock. 'He's taller in person.' He wasn't trained by The World's Greatest Detective, but he did notice the large bruise on the side of Speedy's face and the hand shaped bruises that wrapped around his neck. His stomach shriveled up. "What in the world is he doing here?!"

"What?" Robin asked. "I promised you a surprise, didn't I?"

"Not one that was going to get us killed!" He put his hands on his head, gripping his hair like he was going to pull it out. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Green Arrow is going to be so mad! He's going to be furious!"

"Speedy relax."

"You can't tell me to relax if you're bringing yellow….whatevers here! We're going to get caught!"

"Speedy chill! If you keep yelling Green Arrow will definitely catch us."

Kid Flash decided to try and put Speedy's mind at ease. He dashed up to the archer, stopping when he was a foot from him. 'Yes! Nailed that sudden stop!' He smiled broadly. "I'm Kid Flash."

Speedy backed up. "I'm….Speedy."

"Speedy? Awesome! We're so similar! Hey, why do you call yourself that?! Are you really fast?! Do you have super speed?!"

Speedy gave Robin an apprehensive look. "…..help?"

Robin smirked. "Kid Mouth lay off."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry." He took a step back. "Seriously though, why do you call yourself Speedy?"

"You know, I don't think you've ever told me either."

Speedy sighed. "I call myself that because I can shoot arrows faster than Green Arrow."

"Really?!" Kid Flash gaped. "That's awesome!"

"Impressive," Robin nodded.

"How did you meet Green Arrow?! How do you know you can shoot faster than him?!" Robin wanted to tell Kid Flash to be quiet, then realized that coming out of his mouth at Mach speed, the question sounded incredibly innocent. Maybe it could work.

Speedy shifted and looked down. "I met him at an archery competition on the reservation I lived on. I won the competition and he was impressed with my skill and speed." His stomach twisted. That moment used to be a sense of pride for him. He could still remember the rush of winning. Of feeling like he was similar to his hero. The greatest bowman in the world! He could clearly see Oliver smiling and shaking his hand. He could remember the smile. The way it'd been so welcoming and warm. He shook his head bitterly. That memory was forever tainted now by the two years of hell that came after it.

"The fact that you won is still really good."

"Thanks." He decided to change the subject. "So…..KId Flash…..you work with the Flash, right?"

"Sure do!"

"So are you…also reckless?"

"Reckless? I'm just inexperienced."

"What did Green Arrow tell you about the Flash?" Robin asked. He had a vague idea about what Speedy thought of Batman. None of it was good. He didn't know how someone could put the Flash in a bad light though.

"He said that the Flash was reckless. That he only does the hero thing because he likes the people Central City adoring him and he acts without thinking, and doesn't care about who gets hurt."

"Hey!" Kid Flash protested while Robin mused over the fact that Speedy's description sounded like a mantra. "Flash is the greatest hero in the world!"

"Of course you think that."

"Whats that supposed to mean?!"

"Kid chill!" Robin hissed.

"He's saying bad things about Flash!"

"Batman says bad things about Flash. The whole League says bad things about Flash."

Speedy frowned as he watched them. Kid Flash turned on him. "Flash is a great hero. He helps people because he wants to. Not everyone is like Green Arrow."

"What's wrong with Green Arrow?" Speedy asked, despite knowing how ironic that statement was coming from him.

"He kills people!"

"Criminals."

Robin leaped forward and covered Kid Flash's mouth. "What my…energetic friend here means, is that the Justice League doesn't really approve of Green Arrow's actions. Which in no way reflects what they think about you."

Wally nodded and moved Robin's hand. "Yeah, Flash says you're the best teen archer he's ever seen!"

"Really?" Green Arrow almost never complimented Speedy. Usually, it was insults followed by threats and physical violence.

"Superman says you'd be a great hero someday!"

"…..he did? But….I thought Superman was…."

"What?"

"Pretentious and full of himself."

Robin blinked. 'Gotta remember to tell that one to Batman.' A smirk played across his lips. "Batman would approve."

"Superman is super nice," Kid Flash explained.

"Super nice? That's the best you got?" Speedy smiled, which Robin didn't miss.

"Says the kid who uses words like astersous."

Speedy frowned. "Asterous?"

"The opposite of disastrous?"

"Uh…..that's not a word."

"Sure it is!"

"Is not!" Kid Flash argued.

"Is so!"

"It's really not," Speedy said.

"Whose side are you on?!"

"The dictionary's."

Robin glared while Kid Flash doubled-over in laughter. "I'm improving the English language."

"You're really not," Kid Flash said. Robin stuck his tongue out.

"So, how does the League….know about me?"

"We've seen you fight on the security cameras all over the city," Robin explained.

"How?"

"Batman has his ways."

"Why?"

"Well….like Kid said. He doesn't approve of Green Arrow killing criminals instead of handing them over to the police."

"The police are inept and corrupt."

"So are the police in Gotham," Kid Flash assured him.

"Batman believes on the system, and so do I," Robin said.

"Dude relax he's not here." Robin jumped at him, but Kid Flash dodged with ease.

Speedy looked around uneasily. "I should get back before Green Arrow realizes I'm gone."

Robin nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I…won't be," Kid Flash said. He was pretty sure if he got caught he'd be grounded for a week. "Maybe another time."

Speedy nodded. He honestly like spending time with Robin and Kid Flash. When the only human interaction he had was with Green Arrow any conversation where he could relax and joke was welcomed. "I look froward to it."

"Later gator!" Robin snapped before jumping off the building.

Kid Flash shook his head. "Kids. Bye Speedy!" He ran down the side of the building and headed home.

— —

When he got back to Central City it was a little after 2 am. He stopped in the backyard and looked up at his bedroom window in frustration. "Ok….now how do I get up there?"

"You could always run up the side of the house."

"Hey! That's a great idea! Thanks Uncle B!"

"Anytime Kid."

Wally smiled, then froze. He turned around slowly. "Hi Uncle Barry." Barry crossed his arms, disappointment written all over his face. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"And Batman says speedsters have no common sense." Barry put his hand on Wally's shoulders. "Let's go." He led Wally inside and into the living room. Iris glared at her nephew as Barry led him in. "Look who turned up."

"Wallace Rudolph West," Iris began as Barry sat Wally down on the couch. "You are in so much trouble!" Wally looked at the ground. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

"No?" Wally ventured.

"Wally, I woke up and your bed was empty!" Barry yelled. "I was worried out of my mind! I thought the Rogues had kidnapped you! Or worse!"

"Where were you?" Iris asked before Barry got too off topic.

"I….Star City."

Barry froze. "Star City?" Wally nodded. "Star City?"

"Barry-" Iris warned, but her husband cut her off.

"Star City?! Wally what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I…I was trying to help Robin…" Wally answered quietly, shrinking in on himself.

"I told you not to go near that place! What if Green Arrow had caught you?! You could've died! Why would you do something so reckless?! You ran half-way across the country! You went into Star, which I'd explicitly told you not to do! You're-"

"Barry Allen that's enough!" Iris snapped, grabbing his ear.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Barry yelped as she turned around, dragging him with her. She pulled her husband close.

"I love you, but you're an idiot!"

"Iris he-"

"I know what he did was wrong, but Barry you're scaring him! Look at him, he's shaking!" Barry glanced back his heart twisted in guilt. Wally was curled up in a fetal position, vibrating. His green eyes were wide with fear. The older speedster sighed. "You need to calm down, or I'm sending you out of the room."

"Ok, ok." Barry took a deep breath. "I'm calm."

"Good." They turned back around and Barry approached his nephew.

"Wally-" He reached out to hug the kid, but Wally flinched back. His heart broke. "Kid I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just worried about you. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Wally took a deep breath and focused on stopping his vibrating. Once he stopped moving Barry could see his eyes were glazed with tears. "I-I'm really sorry Uncle Barry P-Please don't fire me."

"Oh Kid." Barry hugged him tight. "I'd never do that." He kissed Wally's red hair as Iris knelt down beside them.

"Wally, why did you go to Star?" Iris asked gently.

Wally sniffed and took his face out of Barry's shoulder. "I-I really wanted to help Robin help Speedy."

"Wally," Barry said, keeping his voice even. "as noble as that is, you shouldn't have gone without my permission."

"You wouldn't have let go though."

"I have my reasons for it."

"Speedy's been there for two years though! Two years and you've done nothing!"

"Wally-" Iris began, seeing him getting upset again.

"No! You left him there for two years! How could you do that Uncle Barry?! You're the Flash! You're supposed to be the greatest hero in the world!"

"Wally-" Barry said, but Wally's next words made his throat close.

"You didn't do that to me right?! You-you didn't know what was happening and just….do nothing about it for two years?!" If there was an award for World's Worst Human Being, Barry was pretty sure he'd win.

Barry swallowed the lump in his throat. "Wally, what happened with you is completely different."

"How?"

"First, it was all civilian identities involved. That's not the case here. Green Arrow knows Speedy's real name and that's powerful leverage. Second, what happened with you….the police in Keystone made your case a priority as a favor to me. That's how Iris and I got custody so fast and why everything went so smoothly. This isn't like that. I wish it could be Walls. I really do."

Wally started crying and Barry hugged him again. "Why does this happen?"

Barry shook his head. "I don't know Wally. I see how amazing you are and how much Batman cares about Robin….I can't imagine why anyone would want to hurt their child." Iris rubbed Wally's back.

"I had to help. I just had to."

"Wally-"

"No, you don't understand! You don't know!" He pushed himself away from his uncle. "You don't know how scared he is! Or how he thinks no one's going to help him! That no one cares! Uncle Barry, I can't leave him there, I can't!"

"Shh!" Barry soothed, hugging his nephew again. "Shh, it's ok."

"Promise me you'll help Speedy," Wally mumbled. "Please promise me you'll help him. You don't know how he feels."

Barry nodded. "I promise Wally. I promise."


	9. A Stormy Night

A/N: This chapter is a little short, but the next one will be longer.

Flash was pretty sure he was going to die when Batman stopped him outside the League meeting room. "Did you need something?" Batman put his hand on Flash's shoulder. Alarm bells started going off in the speedster's head. "Am I going to die?"

"Do you want to be taken off the case?"

Flash blinked. "What?"

"You reacted very extremely last time." That was an understatement. It had taken a few dozen laps around the globe for him to calm down. Even then Hal had needed to get Jay to stop him. "This case is very close you and Kid Flash personally. Do you want to be taken off the case?"

Batman was being nice?! Why was he the only one here to witness this?! Part too him wanted to say yes. He hated having to see Roy bruised and bleeding, knowing it was his guardian causing it. His mind flashed back to a time when he'd snuck a look at Wally's file while in the Keystone Police Station. The pictures of dark bruises and marks on a too small body still made him want to throw up. Then he remembered his promise to Wally. "No. I want to stay on the case."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. This case isn't easy, but I have to see it through to the end."

Batman nodded and turned away. Flash followed him into the meeting room and sat down. "Let's get started."

"Any updates on Star?" Green Lantern asked.

"I have one," Flash said and everyone looked at him.

"This should be good," Wonder Woman muttered.

"Kid Flash went with Robin to Star last night."

"What?!" Green Lantern demanded. "You let him go?!"

"I didn't let him go! He snuck out!"

"Don't tell me you two didn't know," Wonder Woman said, looking at Superman and Batman.

"Unfortunately we can't," Superman replaced, wondering how they could've missed it.

"How did you mss this?" Martain Manhunter asked Batman. "Aren't you supposed to know everything?"

"This….escaped my notice somehow," Batman muttered stonily.

"No doubt Robin had something to do with it," Aquaman said. Batman glared at him.

"Tread lightly," Green Lantern whispered.

"Admit it, that bird is as sneaky and conniving as you are Batman. Just like Kid Flash is as absent-minded as Flash."

"Hey!" Flash objected.

"I'm just saying, Robin could've easily convinced Kid Flash to come along."

"What happened last night?" Superman asked.

"I don't really know," Flash admitted. "I woke up at midnight and Kid was gone. I ran around Central looking for him, but he came home around 2 am. I grounded him for a few days-"

"A few days?"

"I….may have given him a panic attack. Don't give me those looks! I'm new at this parenting thing! Look, they both came home safe and if it helps convince Roy to leave what's the harm?"

"The harm is, the more heroes in Star the greater chance we have of getting caught," Batman said.

"Didn't you want all three sidekicks involved at the beginning?" Aquaman asked.

"That was a formality. I knew you'd say no."

"Regardless, I agree with Batman," Superman said. "The fewer kids we endanger with this crazy plan the better."

Batman leveled a glare at Flash. "Keep Kid Flash out of it."

"I'll do my best, but he's pretty stubborn about helping. He's not without his reasons for it too."

"Just keep a handle on your sidekick," Wonder Woman told him.

"Aqualad would never disobey me like that," Aquaman said proudly.

"Leave him alone with Robin long enough and he will," Green Lantern smiled. "That kid could talk anyone into anything. He's also just scary enough that no one will say no."

"Throw in Kid Flash and we're doomed," Superman added. Batman and Flash had almost equal looks of disapproval on their faces. It was scary. "Anyways, the decision is final. Robin is the only one who goes into Star. Understood?"

"Yes," Flash nodded.

"Of course," Aquaman replied.

"We should also move up our plans," Batman said. "Now that there's a real chance the operation has compromised, Robin should begin trying to actively make Speedy leave."

"Do you think he'll go? It's only been three weeks," Green Lantern pointed out.

"He has to. If he doesn't the consequences could be disastrous."

— —

Thunder shook the windows as lightning cracked against the glass. Roy jumped slightly as the flash of light jumped at his peripheral vision. "Are you really scared of a thunderstorm?" Oliver asked him.

Roy shook his head quickly. "Of course not." The lightning flashed again and he flinched slightly.

"Freaking kids," Oliver muttered, sitting back and taking a sip of his drink. Roy swallowed nervously and went back to his game. Oliver was considerably more easy to irritate when he was intoxicated, and also more sociable in an ironic paradox. He would've preferred to stay in his room, and possibly hide under the bed, but Oliver had asked him to sit in the living room and watch tv with him. Roy knew better than to say no, so here he was. Oliver sighed in an irritated way and Roy tensed up. He glanced up at the tv and his heart pounded.

"Luckily the Justice League was there to handle the situation, and civil causalities were 0," the newscaster said, ending a report on….an alien invasion or something. He hadn't really been paying attention.

"God damn goodie-goodies. I swear to fucking god they're just here to irritate me." He glanced at Roy. "Well, them and others."

"Maybe they're not as bad as you think," Roy said quietly. paying attention to his game.

Oliver muted the tv and turned to Roy, eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"

Roy paused his game. "M-maybe the Justice League isn't as bad as you think?" He was already regretting his words.

"Oh really?" Oliver turned his entire body towards Roy. "Roy, do you think you know more about other heroes than I do?"

Roy shook his head quickly. "Of course not Oliver."

Oliver took another sip of his drink. "Did you know that Batman is very unforgiving to his enemies? That he beats them within an inch of their life?"

"N-no."

"Did you know Batman considers me to be his enemy?"

"N-no."

"Is that what you want to happen to me? Do you want to see me beat nearly to death after all I've done for you?"

Part of Roy really did. Some part of his brain wanted to see Oliver bleeding and bruised. 'Don't be an idiot!' a voice hissed in his head. 'He took you in, you owe him! Who else is gong to want you? At least he tolerates you.' He swallowed. "Of course not Oliver." Oliver moved so fast that Roy didn't have time to move before his guardian was on top of him. His game lay forgotten on the ground as he focused all of his attention on the man pinning him down. "Ollie please-"

"Do not ever question me again," Oliver hissed. Roy gagged at the alcohol on his breath. "The Justice League are our enemies! They want to stop my mission! You're my partner, so I expect you to be obedient! If you won't do that-"

"I will Ollie! I will, I swear!"

"Don't interrupt me!" Oliver slapped him.

"Sorry…"

"If you don't then I'll beat it into you until you do!"

"No, no please don't! I'll behave, I promise!"

"You'd better." Oliver got off him and sat back in his seat. Roy pushed himself against the arm of the couch and curled up into a ball. Oliver downed the rest of his drink and sighed dramatically. "Since the rain kept us inside, there's no reason not to have some fun."

Roy wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack at 14. "F-fun?"

Oliver nodded and stood up. He staggered a little. "Come on." Knowing better than to argue, Roy followed. His heart pounded as he followed Oliver down to the arsenal. Another side-affect of Drunk Oliver: he liked to play games. Unfortunately, all of his games were usually dangerous to Roy's health or safety. Oliver grabbed his bow and quiver and a strip of green cloth.

Roy forgot how to breathe. "Ollie no-"

"Don't argue with me boy. We're going to have some bonding time."

"Yes, Oliver." Roy followed him back upstairs to one of the unused halls. They stopped briefly in the kitchen so Oliver could grab some fruit. They reached the hall and Oliver put his quiver on and put his hand on Roy's shoulder. He forcefully led Roy down the hall, ignoring the dragging of the teen's feet. They stopped at the end and he tied the cloth around Roy's eyes. "No peeking." Roy nodded as Oliver lined him up with his back against the wall. He waited tensely as Oliver placed something on his head. The green blindfold did a good job of preventing him from seeing anything. Not that he needed to see to know what was going on. 'William Tell' was Oliver's favorite game. He did his best to keep his breathing even and stay calm. An arrow suddenly thudded against the wall right above his head; causing him to yelp.

"Whoo! Good shot!" The sound of Oliver approaching was loud, so was him pulling the arrow out of the wall. "Here." He opened Roy's mouth and shoved the apple in. "Have a snack. You're always….freaking coming that you're hungry…."

"Fank ooo," Roy mumbled. He felt Oliver put another piece of fruit on his head.

"This time I'm…shootin' for the stem so don't move."

'I don't think I could move if I wanted to.' He flinched again as the arrow hit the wall above him. He breathed through his nose, trying to stay clam. He stayed perfectly still as Oliver continued to shoot at him, placing fruit of varying sizes on his head. After a while, his jaw started to hurt from the apple, but he had to keep his hands behind his back as part of the "game". He only moved once when he heard the snap of Oliver's bowstring and the sudden sting of an arrow sliced across his cheek. He gasped in pain and bit through the apple. He spit the piece out and moved to take off the blindfold. Oliver's hand stopped his. "Ollie-"

"Leave the blindfold on,"

"Ollie please-"

"We're still playing."

"Ollie please, can we just stop?!"

"No." Oliver grabbed his arm and practically threw him against the wall. "Stay."

Roy put his hands behind his back and sighed. He could feel the blood running down his face. He still flinched every time an arrow was fired, but they all found their marks, so he wasn't injured further. Not physically at least. It felt like forever before Oliver finally stopped firing. "A-are we done?!"

Oliver sighed dramatically. "Yes, since you insist on being such a sissy." He snorted. "Speedy sissy."

Roy took off the blind fold while Oliver laughed at his own joke. "Can I go to bed?"

Another dramatic sigh. "Fine. But don't say I never did anything for you!"

"Of course not." Roy passed him and handed the blindfold back. Oliver put his hand on Roy's shoulder, much to the teen's discontent. Even being half a foot away, Roy could smell the alcohol on Oliver. It made him sick to his stomach.

"G'nght kid."

Roy sighed. 'Maybe he's not perfect, but he's the only father you have,' a voice whispered in his head. He turned away as a tear slipped down his face and mixed with his blood. "Night Ollie."


	10. Speedy Won't Go

A/N: There's some strong language in this chapter. Just some swears, so be aware.

Robin crouched over the edge of a building, peering down at the lit alley. He could see Speedy down below with Green Arrow. His eyes stay trained on the teen as he watched his mentor interrogate someone. The interrogation itself didn't really bother the young bird, he worked with Batman after all. He'd seen Batman dangle criminals off tall buildings to get information. So he wasn't bothered when he saw Green Arrow shoot the guy in the leg, then twist the arrow. He could tell though, even from this distance, it was bothering Speedy. Green Arrow had been keeping Speedy with him the last few days, making it impossible for Robin to talk to him. Luckily, Speedy was looking away from grizzly interrogating in front of him, looking up to avoid it, and spotted Robin. His heart stopped.

'What is he doing here?!' he thought, looking away quickly. 'If he gets caught Green Arrow's going to kill him!'

"Speedy!" Green Arrow snapped.

"Y-yes?"

"We need to find this guy's buddies. I want you to search this neighborhood."

"Yes, Green Arrow." His mentor turned away and he got a glimpse of the criminal, who now had an arrow in his neck. He tried to quell the uneasy feeling in his stomach and jumped onto a fire escape. He pulled himself up and started climbing up the structure. He finally made it to the top and did a quick sweep to make sure that Green Arrow wasn't around. Satisfied he was gone, Speedy tried to find Robin. "Robin. Robin?"

"Here," Robin said from behind him.

"Jeez! Stop doing that kid!"

"Sorry. Been a while."

"Yeah. I've been busy lately."

Robin eyed a bruise peeking out from under Speedy's mask, a deep cut on his cheek, and dark bruising on his neck. It had been there last time, but it should've started to heal by now. 'Unless he was strangled again recently.' He swallowed. "How've you been?"

"Uh….fine. Where's Kid Flash?"

"He couldn't come. Flash found out about him coming last time."

"H-he did?"

"Yeah. Kid's grounded from hero duty and not allowed to come. He told me to say hi though."

"Is-is that all?"

"All what?"

"Flash just….told him he couldn't go out as Kid Flash?" Roy didn't know why he was asking. Part of him was saying he should leave it alone.

"Yeah. Why, what else would Flash do?"

"I- nothing? I guess?"

Robin crossed his arms and sighed. It was now or never. "Speedy, I know."

"What do you know?"

"I know what Green Arrow is doing to you."

"He's not-"

"I saw it happen you can't deny that it does!"

"He was just having a bad day!"

"That doesn't give him the right to hit you!"

"I shouldn't have ticked him off! It's my fault really. You can't blame him for that."

"Speedy, listen, pease. What Green Arrow is doing is wrong. I want you to come with me."

"Where?"

"Gotham."

"Gotham?!"

"Yes. If you come with me, the Justice League can protect you."

"No."

"They'll help you."

"No! The Justice League is corrupt! They're corrupt and act like gods, expecting people to worship them!" Speedy's voice lacked conviction for his words, but more than made up for it in how desperate he sounded. Like he was desperately hoping what he was saying was true.

'Wow, Green Arrow really got to him.' Robin tried to figure out how to get Speedy to come with him. "You trust me, right?"

"I….yeah."

"Then come! I promise the League won't hurt you. They just want to help."

"I can't! Even if I did believe you, which I don't, you don't understand."

"Then explain. Help me to understand."

Speedy swallowed. "I can't leave Green Arrow. He-he took me in when I had nowhere to go. He's the only person in the world who remotely cares about what happens to me. I owe him."

Robin had never wanted to rip off his mask in public so badly. 'If I could show him who I am he'd know that I understand.' He took a deep breath and squashed his frustration. He couldn't get upset. "Speedy I care about you. I'm worried about you. Kid Flash is worried about you. The whole Justice League is worried about you."

"Why should the Justice League care about me?! They don't even know me!"

"They know you're in a dangerous situation! You have to admit that what Green Arrow is doing is wrong."

"He's just toughening me up-"

"That's not how sidekicks and mentors are supposed to interact. He shouldn't treat you the way he does. His killing people isn't right ether."

"You don't know anything about him!"

"I know he's a murderer! He kills people Speedy! It's not right!"

"No. No." Part of him wanted to believe Robin. He wanted to believe that the other heroes were as good as Robin said they are. That there was someone out there who cared about him sides Green Arrow. That he was right for being uncomfortable with how Green Arrow killed indiscriminately. He shook his head. "I can't. I just can't. If I try to run again Green Arrow will kill me. Besides, it's not as bad as it seems."

Robin resisted the urge to point out Speedy had just admitted Green Arrow would kill him. "This isn't safe-"

"You should leave."

"Speedy-"

"Leave!"

Robin sighed. "Ok."

"Don't come back."

Robin walked to the edge of the roof. He stopped and looked back at Speedy. He took something from his utility belt and tossed it to the archer. "It's a beacon. If you need help just hit it to activate it. It'll tell me where you are. No matter what time of day it is, if you need help, don't hesitate to use it. I know you think you owe him, but you owe him nothing. This isn't what being a hero is about, or what being a mentor is supposed to be like. Please just….consider it. If you want out, Batman will help you. I promise."

Speedy watched as Robin jumped off the building and disappeared. He looked down at the bat shaped beacon in is hand. He should get rid of it. If Green Arrow saw it he'd be in a lot of trouble. He shouldn't listen to Robin. Instead, he hid the beacon in his quiver. He took a deep breath as he started his search for the other gang members. He spotted movement two blocks away and lowered himself down into the alley. There was a man with a recognizable tattoo on the back of his neck. Speedy nocked an arrow and stepped out from his hiding spot. "Don't move!"

The man turned around and laughed. "It's the little archer. Are you lost, boy? Is the Green Murderer right behind you?"

Speedy kept his arrow trained on the man; right at the center of his neck like his mentor taught him. "Where're the rest of your friends?"

"Like I'm going to tell you." Speedy quickly moved his arrow and shot the guy in the knee. "Ah!" he fell to the ground in pain. "Fucking brat!"

"Where are the rest of your friends?!"

"I ain't snitching kid!" Speedy shot out his other knee. "Gah!"

"Tell me!"

"Or what?" Despite the pain and blood, the man managed to look at the young vigilante and smile. "You'll kill me? Like your oh so benevolent Green Arrow?"

"Tell me what I want to know!"

The man started laughing. "You won't kill me, kid. You know how I know?"

"You don't know what I'm capable of."

"I know because I've killed people. I know the look of a man who can live with the blood on his hands. You're just a scared kid. Your hands are shaking!"

Speedy realized they were and shot another arrow. It hit its mark, the crook of the man's elbow. Another howl of pain, which drove an icicle through his heart. "Tell me!"

"No." The man took a ragged breath. "You'll have to kill me." He watched as the young archer loaded another arrow and aimed it at him. "Go on kid. Prove how much of a man you are." Speedy aimed the arrow for his chest. He knew where to shoot it so it would slide between the man's ribs and hit his heart. All he had to do take his fingers off the bowstring. He stood there like that, bow taunt and ready, the bleeding man on the ground jeering at him, for a long time. Finally, though, he eased the string back into a resting position and put the arrow back in his quiver. The man started laughing. "I knew you couldn't-" He didn't get the chance to finish as an arrow suddenly embedded itself in his throat.

Speedy recognized the green fletchings immediately. He turned his head and fear gripped him as Green Arrow walked out of the shadows. "Green Arrow I-"

"Did you get any useful information from him?" Green Arrow asked, walking past the teen.

"No."

"Hm. Let's head north. They have a safe house not far from here."

"Yes, sir." He followed close behind, unable to get the image of the arrow killing the man out of his head. They found a derelict building that looked like it'd seen better days, and Green Arrow looked at him.

"You go in from the left, I'll take the right. No one gets out. Understood?"

Speedy nodded. "Understood." He left his mentor and crept to the left side of the house. It was kind of dwarfed by the taller buildings around it, giving him plenty of shadows to hide in. This part of the city was a mishmash of older mill buildings and houses. He found an open window and carefully pulled himself up. It was hard to see through the grimy glass, but he could just barely make out the room was empty. He climbed inside, setting himself down gently. He nocked an arrow and headed for the doorway. He put his back against it and spun out into the next room. He found three men sitting at a table playing cards.

"What-" one of them said upon seeing him The other two reached for their guns, but Speedy quickly shot them all in the hand. "Son of a-"

"Language," Speedy warned him, shooting them each in the knee so they couldn't run. He went into the hall and quickly shot another man in the leg. The man went down and Speedy shot him in the hand to keep him from reaching for a gun. He heard a gun fire and spun around, ducking to the side as he shot. His arrow found the barrel of the gun just as a bullet found the wall. He shot again, taking the man down by shooting him in the leg. He got up and shot the guy's hand. He kicked the gun away and went into the next room. He fired off three arrows and three more men fell to their knees clutching their hands. He shot their legs to keep them down and kept moving. As he went from room to room and hall to hall, taking out gang members as they came at him, he couldn't help but feel the dread in his stomach. He wasn't killing these guys, despite what Green Arrow often told him he should be doing, but he was leaving him for the other archer to take care of.

They'd reached a sort of pseudo-agreement where Speedy could keep the criminals from running away and leave them for Green Arrow to handle. All these guys he was taking down were incapacitated, but once Green Arrow came in they'd be dead. There was no way he could prevent it. 'You shouldn't worry about them dying,' he reminded himself mentally as he shot another gun out of someone's hand. 'They're criminals. Gangsters. Innocent people die every day because of them. Who knows how much suffering they've caused.' He kept repeating that in his head, trying to convince himself that it was ok to let these guys die. He finally finished his sweep, now on the second floor, and he went back downstairs to wait for Green Arrow. He didn't see his mentor as he walked, but he didn't mind. He did, however, see arrows sticking out of chests and necks. One even had an arrow in his eye. The sight of it almost made Speedy throw up. He hurried on, leaving through the window he'd come in through.

Once he was outside and took a few, deep breaths of the cool night air. Star didn't have a terrible smog problem, luckily. He looked up at the sky and felt of pang of sadness. Back on the reservation, he could see all the stars at night. He remembered how there had been far more than anyone could ever count. In Star though, there was too much light pollution. He couldn't see as many stars, ironically. There was a movement behind him and he spun round, pulling out an arrow, nocking it, and pulling his bowstring back in one fluid motion. "Oh." He recognized Green Arrow and relaxed, putting the arrow away. "Sorry."

"At least you didn't shoot," Green Arrow muttered. "Let's go home." Speedy nodded and followed, trying not to think of the dead bodies they left behind.

— —

Once they were home and changed, Roy was putting his quiver away when he ventured to ask Oliver what had been on his mind. "Um….Ollie?"

"What?"

"I….I was just wondering…"

Oliver turned around and narrowed his eyes. "Wondering what?"

"If-if maybe killing the bad guys is-is really a good idea?"

There was a moment of tense silence between them. "Come here."

Roy felt the blood drain from his face. Oh he knew that tone of voice. "Ollie-"

"Don't make me say it again." Roy's feet felt like lead as he made his way over to Oliver. He stood in front of him for a moment before Oliver slapped him. He stopped back, but Oliver grabbed his arm and jerked him closer.

"Ow! Ollie, please! That hurts!"

"What have I told you about questioning me?" he shook Roy, taking him off balance. "How many times do I have to tell you before learn, boy?!" He threw Roy on the ground, but the teen stayed down. Oliver kicked him in the chest, and then in the stomach. "I'll just have to beat into you until you get it!"

"No!" A kick hit him in the mouth and his mouth was filled with blood. He spit it out, only slightly concerned about the tooth in the puddle. "Ollie, please! Please stop! I'll listen, I swear!"

"Shut up!" Oliver grabbed him by his hair and pulled him to his feet. "I'm tired of you questioning me! I put a roof over your head! Food on your plate! Make you the best damn archer I can, and you still disrespect me!" He threw Roy into one of the arsenal racks, knocking all the arrows onto the ground. Roy flipped over onto his back and stared at Oliver. He backed up a foot.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I won't do it again! I swear!"

Oliver crouched down and grabbed Roy by the jaw. He held the teen with a vice-like grip. "I kill criminals because they deserve it. They're scum who feed off the suffering of others. Do you think all the people they hurt, the children they made orphans of and the widows they leave behind would mind if I killed them?"

"N-no-"

"Then stop questioning me. I let you in on my mission because I thought you wanted to help people."

"I do! I do!"

"Well, this is how you do it! Heroes like Batman and Flash, as weak-minded and blind as they are, don't understand that. The League would rather I stand by and let people suffer than actively do something to prevent it. Is that fair?"

"No-"

"So, do you think it's right, that I kill them?" When Roy didn't answer he punched him. "Is it right?!"

"Yes! Yes, it's right for you to kill them." Oliver released him and Roy crawled away. Oliver stood up and Roy almost flinched at the contempt in his eyes. "Clean up this mess."

"Yes, Oliver." His guardian walked away and Roy slowly got onto this knees. He eased himself up to his feet, wincing and gritting his teeth. He ran his tongue alone the empty space where one of his teeth used to be. He flinched and hissed in pain as he fixed the rack. Picking up the arrows was even harder, given how many times it required him to bend down. Every once in a while he had to spit blood out of his mouth and into his shirt. He finally got all the arrows back in order and went to go clean up his blood. He didn't have any towels, and he wasn't going upstairs and coming back down. So he took off his shirt and used it to mop up the small puddle after picking up his tooth. He put the tooth in his pocket, he wasn't sure why, just because, and stuffed his shirt in his mouth, trying to absorb the bleeding. Before he left he went to his quiver and pulled out the beacon Robin had given him. He stared at the bat-shaped object for a moment before putting it in his pocket with his tooth.

He went upstairs to the bathroom so he could take care of his mouth. He rinsed it out, wincing as the water hit the now empty gum socket. He grabbed a cotton ball and shoved it into the space, hoping the bleeding would stop soon. He changed into his pajamas and grabbed a handful of extras and exited into his room. He knew he should go to bed, but he wasn't tired. Terror was still gripping all his nerves and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while. So instead he went out onto the small balcony outside his room. When he'd first moved in the balcony had excited him. It was new and exciting, like everything about Oliver. It was still one of his favorite spots. It was only three feet by four feet in size, but it was a chance to be outside and enjoy the fresh air. He sat on the railing and set his cotton balls down. He changed out the one in his mouth, wincing in pain. The beacon and tooth wee resting on the railing next to him. He stared at them for a few minutes. 'What if Robin is right?' He shook his head. 'No, I can't think like that. I can't run away again. Not again.' Part of him wanted to though. There was a desire in his heart to grab his bow and quiver and run far away where no one would ever find him. Instead, though, he titled his head back and looked up at the sky, trying to find the stars.


	11. Dick's Worries

A/N: this chapter is short, but I promise some important ones are coming soon!

Bruce knew there was something wrong based off the way Dick twirled a cookie on the countertop. The boy usually never let Alfred's cookies go uneaten for more than a minute when put in front of him. Alfred noticed as well, giving Bruce the 'you're-his-father-now-deal-with-this' look. The billionaire nodded and cleared his throat. "How did it go in Star tonight?"

Dick made a face. "He wouldn't come." He sighed and looked at Bruce, setting his cookie down. "I don't get it, Bruce! I saw Green Arrow hit him! He can't deny that I know! Green Arrow terrifies him, I can tell!" Bruce nodded. "So why does he stay?!"

"This is a difficult situation, Dick. There isn't going to be an easy answer."

"Green Arrow has him convinced that the Justice League is…bad or something! I mean, I get that he could believe that about you," Bruce really didn't have an argument against that. "but Flash and Superman? Who could ever think Flash and Superman are the bad guys?!"

The innocence Dick brought to this case made Bruce so very sad. "Roy is ignorant to the truth and Green Arrow prefers to keep it that way. It makes him easier to control."

"Why does he want to control him though? Why would someone as mean as him care so much about Roy?"

"First, Oliver doesn't care about Roy. I'd be very surprised to learn that Oliver cared about him even a little bit. Second, Oliver keeps Roy around because it's convenient. I think he's aware of how mortal he is and he wants someone who can carry on his work if he's killed."

Dick of course, and already over heard this conversation, but Bruce was always saying you can never be too sure about your intelligence. "So….he's training Roy to take over after him?"

"Yes."

"Does Roy know?"

Bruce considered it. "I don't think so."

"If Oliver wants Roy to take his place someday, why doesn't he make Roy kill?" Bruce briefly wondered when his son got so observant.

"Most likely, Oliver was weary to force Roy to kill while he was still so new to this. Once Roy was older, and under his control, he'd make him start killing directly."

"So he's been biding his time."

"Exactly." Bruce took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Why is Oliver controlling him so important?"

"It makes all of this easier. Once he has Roy in a place where he won't disobey him and will do what he says without question, then he'll be able to order Roy to kill without worry."

Dick nodded. "Does Batman handle cases like this a lot?" He was observant enough to know there were cases Batman worked without Robin.

"Handle is a stretch. Usually, Commissioner Gordon just tells me that there's a dangerous person with a history of abuse on the loose and I bring them in for him."

"In one piece?"

"In one piece. One very bruised, very unconscious piece." That made Dick smile a little bit. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wondered of there was something Batman has done before that could be useful in this case." Damn, he was proud of his kid. He was so smart.

"I don't think there are any cases that can help. This one is very unique."

"Bruce, I want to tell Roy my identity."

"No."

"Bruce-"

"Dick no."

"I have to."

"Why?"

"Roy thinks he owes Oliver for taking him in."

It simultaneously made Bruce's blood boil that Queen would guilt Roy into staying and made his heart ache that Roy, who was no doubt already vulnerable, felt a forced loyalty to him. "That's terrible Dick, but-"

"If I can show him who I am, he'll understand that he doesn't owe Oliver anything!"

"Or Oliver will find out who you are and now I'm worried about your safety along with Roy's."

"Bruce-"

"Dick, I know you just want to help, but we can't. Maybe we can tell Roy who we are once we've gotten him out, but you can't for now. I'm sorry, but it's not worth the risk."

"But-"

"I'm confident that you will find another way to win him over."

Dick slumped down in his chair. "No I won't," he muttered. "He told me to never come back. I'll probably have to wait for him to use the beacon-"

"Wait, what?!"

"What?"

"What did you just say?" Dick looked down and mumbled something. "Dick."

"I said I'd have to wait for him to use the beacon."

Bruce blinked. "What?!"

"I meant well!"

"Dick if Oliver sees that he'll know! He'll know and Roy will get hurt!"

"Roy needs it! If Oliver is attacking him and he needs help he can contact me!"

"It's still not safe."

"Bruce, Roy will keep it hidden."

"Dick-"

"And it makes me feel better."

That made Bruce pause. "It does?"

"I….I hate thinking that he's all alone in Star. I just-just thought that it'd make me feel better if he has a way to get help."

Bruce sighed. "Dick-"

Dick looked at him in earnest. "I know it's risky….but I had to."

Bruce shook his head. "Regardless, it's done now. While I wish you had consulted me first….I'm proud you took the initiative to further solidify your relationship with Roy and find a way to keep him safe."

Dick looked shocked. "Really?!"

"Yes." The look of pride on the boy's face was worth letting the issue go. Dick was still young, but he needed to be confident in his decisions if he was going to be a great hero someday. Dick at a bite of his cookie and took a sip of his hot chocolate. He paused for a moment and looked at Bruce.

"If we don't get Roy to leave Star, what will happen to him?"

Bruce swallowed. He knew the statistics, hell even Flash could spout them out. He couldn't tell Dick though. "Best case scenario Roy grows up and leaves Oliver on his own when he's 18."

"I don't think he'd do that."

With another 4 years to terrorize the poor kid, no, Bruce didn't think he'd do it ether. "Then he'd probably grow up and change up his M.O. after Oliver dies."

Dick shot him a suspicious look. "That's pretty optimistic of you."

"Well…the other option is that Roy becomes a killer."

"He wouldn't do that though."

"I'm afraid he might not have much of a choice."

"Is that the worst thing that can happen to him?"

No, it wasn't. Not by far, but there was no way Bruce was telling him that. He drew the line at telling Dick what the odds were if Oliver killing Roy if they didn't help. "I think it's time for bed."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, I did. Bed."

Dick sighed and slipped out of his seat. "Fine."

Bruce watched him go apprehensively. "You really shouldn't lie to him sir," Alfred said, picking up the half-full plate of cookies.

"I'm not lying."

"Withholding information then, however you choose to phrase it."

"I can't tell him. I refuse. He's too young to know things like that."

"I understand sir."

"I just want to protect him, Alfred."

"Of course sir."

Bruce stood up, mind trying to comprehend how he'd gotten into this situation. He didn't regret getting involved, if it meant Roy could be safe. It was impossible to deny that the was taking him into uncharted waters. He didn't directly deal with cases like this a lot, especially since Robin came up. There was a reason for it too. It was probably an illogical explanation at best, but in his mind there was a line between Robin taking on the Joker and Robin seeing other children beaten by their trusted parents. There were somethings in this world even young vigilantes shouldn't be seeing. He made a stop by Dick's room to make sure the boy actually went to bed. He opened the door and found Dick was already laying in bed. He crept in and ran a hand through his son's dark hair. Dick stirred a little and opened his eyes. "Bruce?" he asked sleepily. "What's going on?"

"Nothing chum. Just came to say goodnight."

"Oh. Night."

"Night." He hugged Dick and ran a hand through his hair again. He crept out, making sure to shut the door quite behind him.

Dick meanwhile, was staring up at the dark ceiling. Moonlight glanced through the window, lighting up sections of the high ceiling. He remembered something Roy had told him earlier. 'Green Arrow would kill me….' It made his stomach churn. 'Green Arrow wouldn't really kill him,' he tried to reason. 'He hurts Roy, sure, but that's- He wouldn't. No. He can't.' Dick had dealt with people who had no problem killing children before— literally every crazy in Gotham— but this was different. Oliver Queen was supposed to take care of Roy. It was bad enough he was beating him up, but he wouldn't go that far. He rolled over and tired to think about what Roy might be doing. 'I won't let that happen Roy. I promise I won't.'


	12. Speedy's Decision

A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter is a little short, but an important one. There's also some graphic descriptions of child abuse below so remember that and read on.

Shock coursed through Roy when he went downstairs and found Oliver in the kitchen. He blinked and his muscles tensed. 'What is he doing here?! He should be at work!' He walked closer, wondering what could be going on. "G'morning Ollie," he said quietly.

"Morning Roy," Oliver said. He put a bowl of oatmeal in front the teen, unaware of the amount of alarm it caused the boy.

"Thank you." Roy took a bite as he watched Oliver. "What're you doing home? Shouldn't you be at the office?"

"I decided to stay home today." He took a sip of his coffee and raised an eyebrow. "Do you not want me around or something?"

"N-no! Of course not! I'm just….surprised."

"I know I'm usually busy, but I thought we'd have an archery lesson today." He looked at Roy expectantly, who forced a smile.

"That's…great!" Oliver nodded and turned away. Roy looked down at his bowl, suddenly not hungry. He forced the food down his throat, with Oliver he never knew when he was going to get his next meal, heart pounding at what was next. When he'd first moved in he'd loved his archery lessons with Oliver. For all his many faults, he was the greatest archer in the world. Under his tutelage, Roy's skill and accuracy had improved faster than he'd ever thought possible. Now though, given how time spent with his guardian was a ticking time bomb to his next beating, the thought of spending all day practicing with Oliver, and then all night on the streets with him was terrifying. 'Made he'll be in a good mood today. Hopefully all day.' He ate quickly, then left to go get dressed. In his room, he had to splash some cold water on his face. 'Get it together Roy. You can do this. Just don't talk back. Don't question him. Do what he says when he says to do it and you'll be fine.' He nodded and quickly got dressed, not wanting to keep Oliver waiting. HIs stomach twisted into knots as he and his way down to the arsenal. The rules kept repeating in his head like a broken record.

'Don't talk back. Don't question him. Do what he says when he says to do it. Don't talk back. Don't question him. Do what he says when he says to do it.' He walked into the arsenal to find that Oliver was finishing re-stringing his bow. He stopped in his tracks and almost let out a frightened squeak. 'He never does that. He never re-strings it for me!' Oliver looked up and held out the red bow. "All ready for you," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," Roy said, accepting it.

"I noticed your draw getting a little slack, so I gave it more tension and a higher draw strength." He got up and clamped Roy on the arm, missing the flinch that went through the teen's body. "You're getting stronger. Pretty soon your draw strength will be equal to mine."

"Thank you, Ollie." Roy quickly grabbed his quiver and slipped it on over his body. He held his bow with a white-knuckled grip when he heard Oliver humming. 'Relax. He'll get aggravated with you so tense. He's in a good mood, just enjoy it.'

"Ready?" Oliver asked, putting his hand on Roy's shoulder, once again not noticing the flinch from him.

"Y-yeah."

"Let's go."

Roy frowned when Oliver headed for the stairs. 'Don't question him.' He took a breath and followed. They walked through the mansion to the double, glass doors in the back. He perked up when he saw Oliver unlocking them. Some of his fear was replaced with excitement when one of the doors opened. A warm breeze hit his face and the tension left his shoulders. He tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him how pathetic he was for being so excited to be outside. He knew it was a sad mark on his life that just getting some time outside during the day was an achievement. "We're going outside?"

Oliver looked back at him. "You've been good, I thought you deserved some time outside."

'Yeah I've been good,' Roy thought, running his tongue over the empty socket in his gums. He didn't ask any more questions as he followed Oliver outside. He smiled as the grass poked his bare feet. The last time he'd been outside had been months ago. Oliver had let him go outside for a few hours on his birthday. They walked across the lawn to where there were several targets set up. "What're we doing first?"

"Let's start with simple shooting, Basics."

Roy nodded. "Basics. Right." He stood next to Oliver and pulled an arrow from his quiver.

"How far away are the targets?"

"20 yards."

"Good." They pulled their bowstring back in a synchronized motion and shot. Both arrows hit the bullseye of the targets. They did this again, landing three more bullseyes in a row. Oliver turned and walked the opposite way and Roy followed. After a minute they stopped and faced the targets again. "How many yards?"

"30."

"Good." They fired again, using the arrows they'd already shot as guides. They landed four more bullseyes and Roy looked at Oliver expectantly. The older archer simply turned and walked away again. leaving Roy to follow. He didn't really expect Oliver to praise him since praise wasn't something the man did well. Nice words, in general, weren't something the teen heard often. He suddenly remembered something Kid Flash had told him about Superman. 'He says you're the greatest teen archer he's ever seen!' He stopped beside Oliver again and raising his bow. "How far?"

"40 yards." Judging distance was one of an archer's many necessary skills according to Oliver. He aimed again, keeping an eye on the cluster of arrows already on the target. He fired and hit the middle again. He fired off three more arrows and made three more bullseyes. He looked at Oliver, who nodded. The man put his hand on the teen's shoulder and Roy tensed. 'Oh god what did I do?!' He immediately scolded himself. 'He's not in a bad mood! Just relax! What the hell is wrong with you?!'

"Good job. Your aim has gotten better."

"Th-thanks." Roy did his best to keep his face schooled. He followed Oliver to the targets and they pulled the arrows free.

"Let's see if you've gotten any faster," he winked, "Speedy."

Roy's stomach twisted. He nodded and looked at the target. "How much time?"

"One minute. Go." Roy didn't think, he moved. He shot off arrows faster than his brain could keep up. His fingers had barely touched the fletchings before he had it on the bowstring, had the string drawn, and then was on to the next one. He lost himself in the familiar motion of speed shooting and some of the tension left his body. It would've been better if he had his longbow instead of the recurve, but the experience was still pretty close. "Done." Roy froze with his hand at his quiver while Oliver counted the arrows in the target. "75. That's more than one per second. You've gotten even faster."

Despite how bizarre it was that Oliver was complimenting him, Roy felt his heart swell with pride. He was still getting better. Oliver put a hand on his shoulder again and he fought to control his flinch. "That's good."

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff." Roy's heart started racing. He and Oliver had very different ideas of fun. "I'm going to teach you to shoot more than one arrow at once."

Genuine curiosity took over in Roy's mind. "Really?!"

Oliver smiled at him. "It's easy." He reached back to his quiver and hooked two arrows. He pulled them out and showed Roy how he held them between his knuckles. "Just like this."

Roy removed two arrows from his quiver. He did his best to hold them between his knuckles like Oliver did. "Like this?"

"Close." Oliver reached out and gently adjusted Roy's grip. The teen felt uneasy at how gently Oliver touched him. "Like that." Roy examine the grip, noticing things like where each arrow was, the curve of his hand, how much strength was needed to hold them all, etc. "Try shooting." Roy nodded and nocked the arrows to his bowstring. "Good. Now use the weight of the arrows to draw it back." Roy did just that, tightening his grip to keep them straight as he drew. "Now shoot." Roy released the arrows. One of them hit the target and the other hit just below it.

"Oh man."

"Well….one of them was good. Try aiming the bottom arrow a little higher. You have to adjust when you're shooting more than one."

"Right." Roy reached back and took a minute to get a grip on the two arrows he needed. He pulled them out and nocked them. Once his bowstring was pulled back he carefully adjusted his aim and shot. He smiled with pride when he saw that one of them hit the second ring and one of them landed only one ring below.

"Better. Keep shooting. You'll get it." Roy spent the next few hours practicing his double-shooting. He enjoyed the sunshine warming his skin and the breeze that blew against his face. It was way better than being inside, even if he had to deal with constant tension from being with Oliver. He lost himself in the rhythmic motions of shooting for hours. He did notice it was slightly harder to draw, but he soon adjusted. Regardless of how he acted when upset, Roy knew Oliver was making him a far better archer.

By the time Oliver told him it was time for lunch he'd managed to get the second arrow to the edge of the bullseye.

"Are we having another lesson this afternoon?" he asked as he ate his peanut butter sandwich.

"No, I don't want to tire to you out before patrol. We can do whatever you want though."

Roy swallowed his bite, unable to believe it. 'Ollie really just wants to spend time with me? Just…hanging out and doing whatever?' He smiled broadly. "Do you want to play a video game?"

"Sure. Let's do it." So Roy and Oliver spent the afternoon playing a video game in the den. Roy was pretty sure he was going to burst from how happy he was, but he couldn't avoid it. Oliver played why him sometimes, sometimes being the keyword, but he never did it for several hours. This was the most interest he'd shown in Roy in a few months. Roy felt relaxed and ecstatic that he'd earned his guardians attention in a positive way for once. Oliver had stopped being overly nice after Roy's first two weeks with him, making days like this the minority. When they did happen though, they reminded Roy of what he'd liked about Oliver. How easy going and kind he was. So he sat back and enjoyed himself since good days like these felt like they were hard to come by. All too soon it was time for dinner and then patrol. Despite his misgivings, Roy was in a relatively good mood when they left. Oliver let him take a neighborhood alone again, so he kept an eye out for Robin. The little bird didn't show up though. Part of Speedy was really disappointed he didn't see his young friend, but another part of him was glad. He didn't want to talk about Green Arrow with Robin. Not after the great day he'd had.

His neighborhood was quiet, up until the end of the night. From the fire escape he'd been scaling down, he spotted a guy who was attempting to mug a woman. Speedy shot a warning arrow while standing on the edge of a railing. The arrow cut through the strap of the lady's purse. The criminal let it go in surprise and the lady grabbed her purse and took off running. Speedy got down to the ground and shot the guy in the leg so he couldn't run. "Don't try running," he warned him as the man started to push himself up; using the wall as leverage. Unfortunately, he wasn't listening to the vigilante and tried to put pressure on his leg, which of course tried to give out.

"Ah!" the guy leaned against the wall. "P-please, I'm sorry man!"

"Sorry doesn't mean anything."

"I won't do it again! I swear! Just please don't off me!"

"Should've thought about that before you resorted to a life of crime!" Green Arrow snapped, scaring the other two people in the alley. He fired an arrow that snagged the guy's shirt, pinning him to the wall. He looked at Speedy. "Go ahead."

Speedy's heart stopped. "W-what?"

"Go ahead. Kill him."

Speedy swallowed. He aimed his arrow for the man's neck. He tried not to look at the man's scared eyes, but he couldn't help it. The pleading look made his stomach shriveled. "I have to kill him?"

"You caught him, you kill him." Speedy's hand started shaking. Was why Green Arrow and been so nice to him earlier? Had he been trying to make Speedy drop his guard? "Shoot, Speedy." The man's eyes were still wide with fear.

'Criminals don't deserve mercy. Criminals don't deserve mercy.' It didn't matter how many times he repeated it. They didn't sound true. Dread gripped Speedy's heart as he relaxed his bow. "No." There was a moment of tense silence.

"What did you just say?"

"No." He put the arrow back in his quiver and shook his head. "I can't." Green Arrow didn't say anything. He simply shot the mugger in the neck. Speedy flinched as blood dropped near his foot. He looked over just as Green Arrow punched him. He stumbled back in shock, but not really in surprise. Before he could say anything though, Green Arrow's hand moved to his quiver. Pain shot through his body and he fell back on the ground. He gritted his teeth and managed to force his eyes open. He saw the green arrow sticking out of his thigh and let out a strangled cry. Green Arrow reached down and grabbed Speedy by the shoulder of his shirt. Speedy kept a white-knuckled grip on his bow as his mentor dragged him away. Panic gripped his mind. 'He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!'

— —

Once they got back, Green Arrow all but threw Speedy into a chair. "Stay," he growled. Speedy didn't move as his mentor grabbed the first aid kit and pliers. He knelt down and examined the wound. He then took the pliers and broke off the arrowhead with a grunt. He pulled the arrow out in a single jerk, ignoring the cry of pain it got from Roy. He kept pressure on the entrance and exit wounds. "Mask, quiver, off." Not needing to be told twice, Roy quickly complied and took off the items. He set them aside as best he could. Oliver's mask was off and Roy could see the fury in his eyes. It made him want to crawl away and hide under his bed. After what felt like forever Oliver wrapped his leg with a bandage.

"Thank- ah!"

"Shut up!" Oliver snapped, slapping him. "Upstairs!" He grabbed Roy by his hair and forcibly dragged him up the stairs. Roy tired to walk, but his injured leg was throbbing and not up to handling his weight.

"Ah! Ollie stop, please!" He was relieved when they reached Oliver's office, but then his guardian threw him onto the ground. He let out of cry of pain when Oliver kicked him.

"I told you not to question me!" Oliver kicked him again. "I told you to listen!" He grabbed Roy by his hair and jerked him to his feet. His hands were suddenly on the teenager's throat and he forced him against the fireplace mantle. Roy clawed at his arms in desperation, terrified Oliver would actually kill him. This only made Oliver shake him until he stopped. Luckily, he released Roy before the teen lost consciousness, but then Roy was punched as soon as the hands were gone from his neck. He fell back and crawled away. While his back was turned Oliver grabbed a poker from beside the fireplace. Pain flared across Roy's back and he collapsed. Something metal hit him again and he curled up into a protective ball.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ollie! Please! Stop! Please!" It hit his head and pain exploded across his skull. Stars danced in front of his eyes and he screamed. HIs breathing was ragged when it finally stopped. He rolled onto his sore back in exhaustion. Oliver suddenly stomped on his chest. "No! Ollie, please stop!" He couldn't do anything but lay there as he felt at least two of his ribs crack. Oliver finally stopped and he held his breath. HIs guardian grabbed his arm and pulled him up, then twisted the arm behind Roy's back. "Ollie please…" he whimpered. Oliver didn't say anything as he pulled Roy's arm further up his back. "Ah!" Roy fell on his knees when he felt his arm pop out of its socket. He stayed kneeling on the ground, whimpering and hiding the injured arm close to his body. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm-"

"Shut up!" Oliver snapped, kicking him in the stomach. "I told you to listen."

"I will! I'll be good I swear!" He heard movement and opened his eyes a crack. He saw Oliver starting a fire and crawled away. "Stay." He stopped moving. Oliver left the room and Roy watch him go apprehensively. Pain was echoing all over his body. He focused on his labored breathing instead of the pain. Oliver came back and Roy felt the blood drain from his face. Oliver was carrying Roy's wooden longbow. The one he'd brought with him from the reservation. The one Brave Bow had made him.

"Ollie-"

"I think I've been too soft on you."

"Ollie-"

"When I took you on, I expected you to adopt my way of doing things. Up until now, I've indulged your reluctance to take care of criminals."

"Please-"

"No more." He looked at Roy and the teen flinched back from his anger. "You want to be a vigilante, then you can't cling to your childish way of thinking anymore. Time to grow up Roy." He threw the bow into the fire and Roy dove forward.

"No! No Ollie, please! Please don't!" Oliver grabbed his shirt and held him back, but Roy kept struggling. His eyes filled with tears as he watched the flames lick at the bow. "No! Please!" Oliver's grip didn't lessen. "Please, I'll do anything! Anything, please!" Only once the surface of the bow had started to turn black did Oliver release him. Without thinking, Roy dove forward and snatched it out. The fire burned his hand, but he didn't care. He stared at the now slightly charred bow in front of him. Despair overtook him and he collapsed on the ground. Oliver made a noise of disgust and grabbed his non-dislocated arm. Roy just barely had enough coherency to grab his bow as he was dragged out.

Oliver dragged him down the hall while the still warm bow burned Roy's hand. HIs guardian opened a closet door and shoved Roy inside. The teen collapsed onto his knees as the door was shut behind him. He heard it lock and started sobbing. He felt his way into a corner and sat so his dislocated shoulder wasn't touching anything. Despite the heat, he held the bow against his body carefully. It felt like the structural integrity was still capable of holding it together. It was badly damaged though and deep down he knew he'd never be able to shoot it again.

Roy buried his face in his knees and cried. He kept his longbow, his most prized possession, close to his body. He sobbed long into the night, in the dark and pain, until his tears ran dry and his throat was closed. When that happened, he wiped his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. 'I'm sorry…' was his last thought before his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep clutching the charred bow.


	13. The Video pt2

A/N: Good news everyone! I've finished writing this story! (That doesn't mean it'll end soon, cause its long.) It'll be updated every 3-4 days just so you know. There's some language in this chapter. Things are going to pick up pace for a few chapters after this, so read on!

After a successful patrol, successful by Gotham standards, and Bruce had sent Dick up to bed, he sat down at the Bat-computer to do some things before he went to bed himself. The first thing he did was get into the security cameras in Star. It wasn't lost on him that he was lucky Green Arrow tended to stick to certain neighborhoods. He started looking through the footage, trying to get a look at Speedy. He'd kept Robin home in an attempt to not scare him off. This was the most delicate part of the plan. If they pushed Speedy too hard, too fast then he'd cling to Green arrow harder. Bruce was just wondering if it would be worth sending in Kid Flash with Robin again when he realized that he couldn't find him. Green Arrow was out by himself.

'Strange,' Bruce thought. 'Why did he keep Roy home? did he get hurt?' It took only a few keystrokes for him to get into the cameras' memory. (These things were ridiculously easy to hack.) The day before showed no signs of Speedy either. Just his mentor. Determined to see if the boy had been injured, he searched even further back. He then, finally, found Speedy on the cameras. He watched as the young archer cornered a guy in an alley. He couldn't hear what was going on, but it was logical the guy would be negotiating for his life. Green Arrow joined the two and Bruce felt his blood boil. He watched as the emerald archer encouraged his young partner, at least that's what it looked like. Bruce leaned forward, studying Speedy's body language. The footage was grainy and shot from a distance, but he could tell that the teen wasn't happy about the position he was in.

'It's ok Roy,' he thought. 'Just put the bow down. You don't need to kill anyone.' He watched as Roy did just that. He felt a stab of pride for the young vigilante. He knew it couldn't have been easy for the boy to refuse Green Arrow. His pride was short lived though as he watched Green Arrow kill the criminal. His eyes narrowed when he saw the archer punch his younger partner, then shoot him in the leg. Bruce stood up so fast he pushed his chair back. "That son of bitch!" he hissed. He only saw red as Green Arrow grabbed Speedy and dragged him off. Bruce didn't waste any time getting into the camera of his that was in Oliver's study. He skipped quickly though the footage, searching desperately. He finally found Oliver in a frame and played it. Fury coursed through him when he saw Oliver pulling Roy by his hair. His knuckles started to turn white from how hard he was squeezing his hands. He watched Oliver beating Roy without really blinking. He could only get a glimpse of the man's hands around the teen's throat, but that one glance was enough to make the rage build up inside of him. When Roy was crawling away he felt a moment of relief, only to have it replaced with horror. Oliver Queen was beating his ward with a fireplace poker! He could feel himself shaking from the rage. Roy's terrified begging cut his heart. It took every ounce of self-control he had to stop himself from going straight to Star that night and beating Oliver Queen until he stopped moving for good.

Unfortunately, the horrors were far from done. Oliver stomped on Roy's chest and ether broke or dislocated his arm. Bruce stopped the video and physically took a step back from the monitor. He closed his eyes and took very very deep breaths. It took 10 minutes and every focusing technique Bruce knew to get his anger down to a semi-manageable level. He stepped back to the monitor and checked the time stamp on the videos. His heart stopped. 2 days. Those videos were 2 days old. He went through the other footage, first from the camera in Oliver's office. He then remembered how the security cameras showed only Green Arrow for the past two days. The office camera showed no more beatings, thankfully, but they showed no signs of Roy either. He checked the bugs that Dick had placed in Roy's room, but all of them were silent after the day in question. Dread started building in Bruce's gut. He went to the security cameras and ran all the videos at once. Over the two days he found footage of Green Arrow from multiple patrols, so his vigilante schedule hadn't changed. If he had been anyone besides the Dark Knight his dread might have become full-blown panic. Instead, he activated his. "Superman," he said to the member on monitor duty. "Call an emergency meeting."

"Why?" Superman asked, sounding concerned.

"I'll explain when we're all there." He quickly put the footage and recordings he needed in a flash drive and put it in his utility belt. He ran to the Bat mobile and tore out of the Bat cave. While he drove his mind tried to figure out a way to explain his theory to the League. They wouldn't take it well. Some members in particular. He stopped by the zeta tube and activated the Bat mobile's clanking device. He took the zeta to the Watchtower, arriving just after Aquaman.

"Batman, what's going on?" the Atlantean king asked. "Superman has called an emergency meeting-"

"I know. I told him to."

"Why? What's happened?"

"I won't explain until everyone is here." The two of them walked into the meeting room where Superman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter were already waiting for them.

"Batman, what's going on?!" Superman demanded.

"I'll explain when everyone's here."

Flash ran in, followed quickly by Green Lantern. "Batman-"

"Sit down and I'll explain." The two final members sat down and everyone looked at him expectantly. There was no way around it. "I have reason to believe there's a chance Roy is…." The word got caught in his throat and choked him.

"Is…" Superman prompted.

"Dead." There was silence, Tense, heavy silence. Not surprisingly, it was Flash who broke it.

"D-dead? As in….not alive?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think that?" Superman asked in a restrained voice.

Batman's response was to plug in the flat drive and showed them the first set of recordings. Horror and anger spread over their faces as they watch Queen beat his ward senselessly. He stopped the video in the same place he'd stopped it himself. "That was two days ago."

"Two days?!" Green Lantern demanded. "We didn't know about this for two days?!"

"Green Lantern," Superman said sternly.

"In those two days, there's no footage of Roy ether in Oliver's office or on patrol. The bugs in his room have also reported no sound."

"….So…essentially….he hasn't been seen or heard from in days after…..that?"

"Yes." More tense silence.

"Oh my god he's dead," Flash whispered, putting his head in his hands. "We let a teenager die! What kind of superheroes are we?!"

"Flash, breath!" Green Lantern said. "This doesn't mean that for sure."

"Green Lantern is right," Batman agreed. "This isn't definitive proof."

"It definitely doesn't mean anything good happened to him!" Wonder Woman snapped.

"Fighting with each other isn't going to help," Superman reminded them. "Batman, can you confirm, indefinitely, that Roy is dead?"

"No," Batman replied.

"Ok. We can't ignore that the chance is there, but we can't panic."

"What do you want us to do?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"Wait."

"I will be keeping a very close eye on the cameras," Batman informed them. "As soon as I have proof, either way, I will inform the rest of you."

"Don't tell the kids either," Wonder Woman said. "Neither Aqualad, Kid Flash, or Robin should know."

"Agreed," Aquaman said.

"Absolutely," Flash nodded. Everyone looked at the Dark Knight. "Batman?"

Batman nodded. "Of course," he replied stiffly. This he did actually agree with. He was already facing the possibility of having the life of an innocent 14-yard-old on his conscience, but he didn't want that on Robin's. The boy was far too young to be carrying that kind of weight around. If it was true, and he held onto the desperate belief that it was a huge if, then he'd have to tell Robin in a way that kept blame off the small bird's shoulders. Judging by the look on Flash's face, he was worried about the same thing. This situation was terrible and clearly getting out of hand, but he still couldn't think of an appropriate way to handle it. With the meeting over, he snatched the flash drive and left the meeting room. He didn't wait for anyone or talk to them. He just wanted to go home. So he took he zeta tube back to Gotham and drove straight back to the Bat cave. He could feel the knot of guilt pressing against his chest. It was weighing him down, making it hard to breathe.

Alfred was waiting for him when he got back to the Bat cave. "Something came up Master Bruce?" the butler asked as the vigilante pulled the cowl off.

Bruce walked over to the Bat-computer and leaned on it. He closed his eyes for a second, allowing himself a moment of weakness. "Alfred…how do you survive knowing you're not doing all you can?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"When you're trying to fix something, something that feels like it can never be fixed, how do you go on knowing that it's pointless?"

"This is about the situation in Star, isn't it sir?"

"He's right there! Roy is right there in Star and I can't help him!"

"Sir, you've been trying-"

"It's not working!" He banged his fists on the table. "Something terrible might have happened! The worst fate that could befall someone in his position, and I did nothing to stop it!"

"Master Bruce-"

"I'm not doing enough….. Tell me how I can live, knowing I didn't do everything I could to help him?" He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Master Bruce." Bruce turned around, leaning back against the Bat computer. "You have made decisions, right or wrong, and now must live with them."

"Roy has to live with them too." If he was alive.

"Which is one of the consequences. However, I have faith in you. You will find a way to rectify this situation, I am sure of it."

"If I can't?"

"Sir, I have no doubt that you will. You are, after all, the Batman. If anyone could have saved this boy in a way that respected his ability to think and decide for himself, as well as recognizing that he needed to be in a certain state of mind for this rescue to work properly, it is you." Bruce sighed. "Mast Bruce. I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but its the truth. What matters is that someone cared enough to give all their energy to a single child in a terrible situation."

Bruce actually smiled. "Thank you Alfred," he said, head bowed.

"Of course sir."

"Oliver Queen has crossed a line I wasn't aware existed. He took in a boy who needed him, only to manipulate and abuse him. Someone who trusted him. Someone who looked up to him. He beat a child half his size senselessly."

"We cannot rid the world fully of monsters. Oliver Queen is unfortunately, one such monster."

"I'd feel better knowing Roy was safe."

"We all would. Do you require anything else sir?"

"No, thank you Alfred." Alfred started to walk away. "Is Dick in bed?"

"Yes sir, Master Dick was in bed within minutes of arriving. I assume your patrol was eventful."

Oh yeah, they'd patrolled that night. So much had happened since then that the patrol felt like it was weeks ago. "Ok. Thank you Alfred. For everything."

Alfred smiled. "I try sir."

"You certainly do," Bruce muttered, turning to look at the Bat computer. He checked the camera in Oliver's office, but still found no evidence of Roy. He sighed sadly and changed out of his suit. Before ehe went to bed though, he stopped at Dick's bedroom. Since starting this case he'd found himself doing this more and more. He opened the door stealthily and snuck in. From the light of the hall he could see Dick. The boy was fast asleep, oblivious to the chaos around him. Bruce sat down on the edge of his bed and took Dick's hand gently in his. If he was hones, Bruce preferred it this way. For Dick to oblivious to the terrible aspects of the world. Part of him wondered when was the last time someone had shown concern like this for Roy. He reached out and gently stroked his son's hair. He would've done anything to keep Dick safe. As far as he could tell, Aquaman and Flash get the same about their sidekicks. It was beyond him how such a strong obligation could be beyond Oliver Queen. How could anyone look at a child and see an opportunity to harm instead of a chance to protect and do good? He knew he would never understand the inner workings of Oliver Queen's mind, and if he was being honest with himself he never wanted to. The only thing he could do was try to get Roy the hell out of there and try to repair the damage Queen had done. He gave Dick's hand one last, gentle squeeze before he stood up.

Dick mumbled something incoherent under his breath and snuggled down deeper into his blankets. Bruce smiled and pulled the blankets up. He smoothed back Dick's hair one last time before leaving. He made sure to shut the door silently, not wanting to wake his son from his peaceful sleep. 'Sleep well Dick,' he thought as he walked slowly to his own room. 'I won't didn't give up on you, and I won't give up on Roy. I promise.'

— The Next Day —

It was impossible to tell how long he was in the closet. At some point Roy lost feeling in his dislocated arm and it became hard to move. The darkness and silence was wonderful for his head, since it pounded constantly. His torso was so sore that sudden movements sent pain shooting up and down his whole body. He did run his non-dislocated arm over his body to check for broken bones. He found none, other than a couple of ribs, but there was dried blood on the back of his head. His back muscles were tense and keeping his body from relaxing in anyway. After a while though everything went kind of numb and he was just able to sit in the corner without moving. The lack of food made his stomach growl almost non-stop. It had started hurting almost as much as the arrow wound in his leg. The thirst was the worst of all though. His throat and mouth went dry after a little bit, and his body had started to feel fuzzy and dull a little bit after that. He could feel his muscles spasming at random points, but his brain was so fuzzy he couldn't bring himself to care. He also started to get cold and had constant goosebumps. He just let himself sit in his corner and stare at the darkness without too much thought. Which is why he was so surprised when the door was suddenly thrown open and light flooded in. Roy slammed his eyes shut against the sudden assault. They'd adjusted to the complete darkness that the closet left him in, so the bright light of the hall was blinding.

"Let's go," Oliver growled, dragging Roy out of the closet. Still unable to see, Roy had no choice but to let Oliver forcibly drag him whenever they were going. The sudden movement caused pain to explode all over is body, getting a cry of pain from him. The cry was hoarse and barely audible through his dry lips, but Oliver still heard it. "Shut up." Roy clenched his teeth to keep another cry from escaping him. He stumbled along beside Oliver and realized they were going up the stairs. His legs didn't want to listen to him and his brain wasn't working fast enough to keep up. The arrow wound made walking on his left leg difficult, but just walking in general was hard at the moment. At some point he realized they were on level ground again. He wanted to curl up and go to sleep, but Oliver kept making him move. His brain couldn't find the energy to care, so he just followed, doing his best to keep his feet under him.

He was so out of it, Roy didn't even notice that they'd stopped and Oliver was making him lay down. He blinked at the soft, supportive structure under his body. He finally opened his eyes a crack. The light was still too bright, but he could just barely make out the blurry Oliver moving around. Something was pushed against his lips and the few drops of water that hit his lips made him reach out. "Drink," Oliver said. Roy drank the water slowly, taking small sips of the cool liquid. It was euphoric how it quenched the dry feeling in his throat and mouth. He started drinking faster, taking bigger and deeper gulps. "Don't drink so fast." The water was taken away and Roy let out a whimper. He reached out for it blindly, but Oliver kept it out of reach. "Give it a minute." Roy lay back dejectedly and started licking his lips. He could still feel water on them. After a minute Oliver let him drink some more and Roy once again took huge gulps. This continued, with Oliver letting him drink a few gulps at a time, then taking the water away for minute so the teen didn't make himself sick. After emptying 2 bottles, Roy's head started to clear and he started to become more aware. Unfortunately, with more awareness came more pain. It was still dull,d but he could feel it burgeoning at the edge of his consciousness. "Here." Oliver handed him a water bottle after easily removing Roy's hand from his bow and setting it aside. "Drink in small sips." Roy nodded as Oliver mood to the other side of him. He took a sip of his water periodically while Oliver examined his dislocated arm. He bent Roy's arm at the elbow and held him firmly. "Brace yourself." Before Roy could really react or move, Oliver moved his arm and popped his shoulder back into place. Roy yelled in pain, voice cracking his his still partially dry throat. He took another sip of water, probably bigger than he should've been, to fix that.

Next, Oliver unwrapped the bandages from around Roy's leg. He exhumed the wound, trying to see if it was infected. Roy was still pretty out of it, robotically drinking water and staring at the wall. Oliver disinfected the wound, making sure to clean it and the skin around it, before re-wrapping it. He stood up and gave Roy another bottle of water to keep him quiet. Roy accepted it without question and kept drinking. His awareness kept increasing, causing an increase in pain as well. His eyes adjusted to the lighting and he could see the things that weren't three feet in front of his face. They were blurry, but they were there. Next Oliver gently took off Roy's shirt. Roy hissed at the jarring movements from his newly fixed shoulder. He held his breath as fingers probed his ribs, expertly finding all the breaks. "Sit up." Oliver helped Roy sit up, who was hit with a wave of nausea from the sudden movement. His stomach heaved a little, bit there wasn't even anything in it so he was pretty sure he wouldn't throw up. "Arms, up." Pain flared across his shoulder blades as he raised both his arms, including his recently dislocated one. While he dd this, Oliver wrapped his ribs. Afterwards Roy happily put his arms down, took a sip of water, and laid back down. "Don't move." Oliver left the room and he looked around to figure out where he was. He realized he was in his bedroom and blinked.

'Why would Ollie bring me back to my room?' he wondered.

'Don't question it,' a voice in his head hissed.

Oliver came back with a bowl. He set it down on Roy's desk before helping the teen sit up. Roy sat back against propped up pillows, pain burning at his body. "Ollie," he said, voice weak, "p-please…. hurts…."

"You can have pain medicine after you eat." Oliver settled the bowl in Roy's lap. Roy squinted at it, trying to make out what it was. A spoon was pushed into his hand and he stated eating regardless. His stomach cramped slightly at the sudden nourishment, but it tasted so good and made him feel so good that Roy didn't care. He ate, ignoring Oliver completely. With his senses and consciousness returning, he was also aware of how nervous Oliver being there made him. He eyes his charred longbow a foot away, then glanced at Oliver. Despite how hungry he was, Roy found it impossible to eat more than half the bowl. "Eat."

"I can't…."

"Eat."

"My stomach hurts-"

"Eat!"

Roy flinched and started eating again, and shaking sightly. Despite the protest from his stomach, he kept eating spoonful after spoonful of soup. Finally he finished it all, only to stumbled off the bed in a haze. Oliver caught his arms as he fell, which resulted in Roy throwing up on him. Oliver shoved him back in disgust while Roy kept vomiting. Roy sat back against his bed when he was done, shaking and sweating. "S-sorry…"

"Ungrateful little bastard," Oliver muttered. He grabbed the bowl and walked out of the room. Roy flinched when the door slammed shut. It took him several minutes to find the energy to get himself up onto the bed. He laid down, curling his body around his longbow again. His breathing was labored and it was hard to draw a deep breath with his ribs wrapped so tight.

'He didn't give me any pain medicine.' He knew he needed to clean up both himself and the room, but he was too tired. So instead, he contented himself with snuggling under the blankets, still curled around his bow, and passed out from pain and exhaustion.


	14. The League's Decision

A/N: I wanted to update this yesterday, but I got swamped with school work. At least I can update today. Enjoy!

It took four more days before Roy's leg was healed enough for him to walk steadily on it. In those four days, he did his best to behave and avoid getting hurt even more. This resulted in him spending a lot of time sleeping and sitting quietly. Oliver at least seemed to have gotten most of his aggression out on the night he shoved Roy into that closet. He still shot the teen near constant looks of outright hatred, but Roy was just happy he wasn't hitting him. After what had happened when he'd first tried to eat, Oliver gave Roy half of the usual amount of food. This was fine the first two days when his stomach was still recovering from having no food for three days. After those two though, he began to notice how hungry he was all the time. On top of that Oliver was only giving him two meals a day. Every time Roy thought to ask for more food though, he'd skim a gentle hand over the bruise that covered one side of his head. So he kept his head down and stayed quiet.

Luckily, their routine did go back to normal with Oliver leaving Roy alone all day. Still sore and injured, Roy spent most of this time sitting and trying to recover. He did manage to get his room clean, but the smell lingered. This drove him to stay anywhere else during the day, only going into his bedroom at night. He passed the time reading, playing with his hand-held games, and watching tv. Usually, he was in the den, but when Oliver was home he retreated to the library. The best part of these four days though, in his opinion, was that Oliver didn't take him on patrol, or order him to go. He knew if his guardian told him to patrol, he'd have no choice. Roy knew he was in no shape to go patrolling though, so he kept up the hope that if he stayed out of Oliver's direct line of sight he could avoid that situation.

The fifth day after he'd been allowed out, a little more than a week after he'd refused to kill that guy, Oliver called Roy into his office. The teen walked slowly and deliberately. He could walk mostly steadily now, and his leg wound was healing nicely. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." He walked and found Oliver standing by the windows, drinking. An involuntary shudder ran down his spine. Oliver had a lot less self-control when he was drinking. Roy's heart beat faster as he walked farther in. He hadn't been in here since… Fingernails digging into his palm sharpened his focus.

"You wanted to see me?" Roy asked quietly. Oliver looked at him and he dropped his head down. "Sir?" He'd given up calling Oliver by his name. If he showed Oliver that he knew his place he hoped that it would keep the man from beating him again.

"You're going on patrol tomorrow. I couldn't go tonight because of this," he gestured outside to the storming clouds.

Roy swallowed. He had known he wouldn't be able to get out of patrolling forever. "Yes, sir."

"Tomorrow I want you practicing all day."

"Yes, sir."

"Stop interrupting!"

Roy flinched back. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"As I was saying, I want you practicing tomorrow. You haven't been shooting in over a week. The last thing I need is for you to get soft. You're useless to me if you aren't shooting straight."

"Yes, sir."

"I want you to increase your draw strength by ten pounds."

"Yes, sir." Ten pounds? Ten pounds?! What was Oliver thinking?! He couldn't suddenly pull back an additional ten pounds! Roy knew better than to argue though. If Oliver told him to increase his draw strength then he would.

"How's your leg?"

Roy blinked and looked up. "W-what?"

"Your leg. How is it?"

"Oh. Um….it's good. It doesn't hurt a lot and I can walk on it."

"Good, I don't need you slowing me down."

"Yes, sir."

"When you slow me down criminals get away. They get away to ruin more lives."

"Sorry, sir."

"That's why I expect you to be competent tomorrow. I also expect you to follow my every order without question. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get out. I'm sick of looking at you."

"Yes, sir." Oliver turned away and Roy shuffled out. He went back to his bedroom, despite the smell. It was worth braving the smell to physically get as far away from Oliver as he could. He curled up under his bed, ignoring the pain in his abdomen. Oliver had never given him pain medicine, but at this point, he was too scared to ask. He curled up in a ball as much as he could, ignoring the sharp pain that stabbed his body. Something, a truth, was slowly dawning on him. An idea that had been creeping up on him since he'd been in that closet. Something he could never tell Oliver. He knew Ollie only kept him around because he was useful as an archer. He couldn't tell Oliver what he thought or his guardian would kill him. "I don't know if I want to be a vigilante anymore," he said quietly to the empty room. "Not like this."

— Next Day —

Batman followed Robin onto the Watchtower. "I want you to wait out here."

"Why?" Robin asked as he jumped up and launched himself off a wall. He climbed up a support beam and jumped up onto the next one.

"The League has business to discuss."

"Then why am I here?" He jumped from beam to beam as he followed Batman down the corridor to the meeting room.

"Did you not want to see Kid Flash and Aqualad?"

"Of course!" He did a double-flip between two that were particularly far apart. "Batman did you see that?!"

Batman looked up at his young partner. "Of course Robin."

"Watch this!" Robin flipped upwards from his current position and not another beam. "See?!"

"I did."

"Woo!" Robin jumped and flipped again. Batman nodded to himself. The easiest way to distract Robin was to give him something to climb on. They reached the meeting room and he looked up at his partner again.

"Wait out here. Don't get into trouble."

"Me, get in trouble?!" Batman simply stared at him. Robin sighed. "Yes, Batman." Batman went into the meeting room and Robin settled down on his beam. He stayed crouched with his cape falling over his shoulders to hide his red tunic. He didn't have to wait long before Aquaman arrived with Aqualad. The Atlantean king looked around.

"It appears Batman and Robin haven't arrived yet," Aquaman said. "Wait out here."

"Of course my king," Aqualad said bowing his head. Aquaman walked into the meeting room, leaving the younger Atlantean, unknowingly, with Robin. The bird smiled as the older hero looked around, but didn't look up. Only a minute later, two streaks, one yellow and one red, stopped in front of Aqualad.

"Rob's not here yet?!" Kid Flash asked excitedly.

"Indoor voice Kid," Flash reminded him. "Looks like he and Bats are late."

"That is very odd behavior for them, is it not?" Aqualad asked the scarlet speedster.

"It is pretty odd. Oh well, Bats has always done his own thing. Kid, wait out here with Aqualad. I'm sure Robin will be here to join you guys shortly."

"Ok Flash!" Kid Flash beamed.

Flash pat his red-haired partner on the head before running into the meeting room. Robin smirked. No one had looked up yet. Clearly Kid Flash and Aqualad weren't planning on it either, judging by the way they were standing. The young speedster looked down the hall. "So, when do you think Rob's getting here?"

Aqualad considered it. "I am sure it will be presently."

Deciding he'd had his fun, Robin dropped from the beam, directly between the two. "Right on the money," he said with a smirk.

Both sidekicks jumped back in shock. Kid Flash tripped over his feet and fell on the ground. "Dude! Don't do that!" he gasped. "Geez!"

"Surprise you?"

"Yeah!"

"I admit I did not expect you to drop from the ceiling like that," Aqualad told him.

"When it comes to me, always expect the unexpected."

"No kidding," Kid Flash muttered, sitting against the wall. Robin sat across from him and Aqualad completed their triangle. "How's Speedy?"

Robin scowled. "Batman hasn't been letting me go to Star for the last week."

"Why not?" Aqualad asked.

"I don't know. It's weird."

"You're telling me," Kid Flash agreed. "Flash has been acting weird too."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "What'd you mean?"

"Well….he's been overly protective lately. He hovers more than he used to. He won't let me run around the city unless he or Jay Garrick are with me."

"This is not normal for him?" Aqualad asked.

"No."

"I have to agree with you. Aquaman has been acting….strange."

"Strange how?" Robin all but demanded.

"He seems reluctant to let me leave Atlantis. We have stopped training in the open ocean and if we need more space we go just outside the city limits."

"And that's not normal?"

"Not at all."

"What's with the face?" Kid Flash asked Robin.

"Your mentors aren't the only ones acting weird. Batman hasn't let me go out on patrol at all lately."

"That's weird. All our mentors are being overprotective."

"Yeah….weird…"

Aqualad looked at his young companion. "I take it there is more to this than appears?"

Robin nodded. "I stop going to Star and suddenly all our mentors are getting overprotective of us."

"You think they're connected?" Kid Flash asked, perking up.

"I do. They're hiding something from us."

"Thank so?"

"Know so. It makes sense. Why else would they all be acting this weird?"

"Flash wouldn't hide important stuff from me."

"Neither would Aquaman," Kaldur said.

Robin snorted. "Guys," he said with a condensing look, "I might be 10, but even I know that's unbelievable naive."

"Hey!" Kid Flash protested.

"They're obviously hiding something from us."

"It probably has to do with Speedy."

Robin rolled his eyes. "You really are a genius Kid Mouth."

"Thanks."

Aqualad smiled. He found his younger companions amusing. The gravity of the situation came back to him though and he frowned. "I am sure the League would share with us if they thought it was important," he told them.

'Doubt it,' Robin thought. "Sure," he replied evasively "Whatever you say."

— —

Once everyone in the League was seated they all looked at Batman. "You got news?" Flash asked.

"Only if you don't panic," Batman replied.

Flash wanted to argue, then remembered the after the last meeting he'd gone home so upset that Iris had needed to call Jay to come over and slow him down. So he simply nodded and closed his mouth. Green Lantern smirked. "There's a first," he muttered.

"The good news is, I have seen Roy in Oliver's office."

"Oh thank god!" Barry breathed, putting his head down on the table. Everyone else visibly relaxed as well.

"Show us," Superman said, needing to see for himself.

"One step ahead of you," Batman said as he pulled up the footage. The League watched tensely as Roy walked in, very much alive. "As you can see, he's alive."

Superman sighed in relief. "Thankfully."

"What're we doing now?" Flash asked.

"What'd you mean what're we doing now?"

The Speedster blinked. "We can't leave him there! Not after this!"

"I agree with Flash," Wonder Woman said. "We've played fate long enough. We have to get Roy out of there!"

"Whether he wants to or not!"

"That's called kidnapping," Green Lantern said. "Which is illegal."

"So is child abuse!"

"If we kidnap him he'll never learn to trust us," Aquaman pointed out. "Do you really want him to spend the rest of his life feeling like a prisoner? Do you want him to be scared of us forever?"

"He'd be safe then," Superman argued.

Flash nodded. "We're the Justice League! How can any of us call ourselves heroes if we knowingly leave him there?!"

"What would you suggest?" Martian Manhunter asked. "He instead live his whole life afraid and trapped? How is that better than his current situation?"

"So you'd rather let him die?!"

"Oliver will not kill him. Even he has to know it would bring the full weight of the League down on him."

"I don't think we can count solely on him suddenly having a realization of how much trouble he's in," Wonder Woman pointed out.

"Arguing will get us nowhere!" Superman interjected. "We're a team, so we'll put this to a vote. All in favor of going and getting Roy tonight, regardless of the consequences, raise your hand." Flash, Wonder Woman, and Superman all raised their hands. "All in favor of continuing with the original plan?" Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman raised their hands. "It's a tie."

"Batman didn't vote," Flash said. Everyone looked at the Dark Knight.

"Batman?"

Batman nodded. No one saw him clench his fists under the table. "I vote we continue with the original plan," he said quietly.

"That decides it then." Flash shook his head and ran out of the room. Wonder Woman gave the bat a look of disapproval. Batman looked at Superman as if he was challenging the boy scout to disapprove of his vote too. Superman didn't though, he just nodded to Batman in support. "Flash will get over it," he said.

"I don't care what Flash thinks."

"Of course not."

"Green Lantern, make sure he stays out of Star."

"I'll call Jay Garrick. He's the only one who can eek up with Flash," Green Lantern replied.

"Good."

"I guess since Flash decided to run out on us, we'll just postpone the rest of the meeting until next time," Superman sighed.

"Someone needs to remind Flash he's a grown man and his nephew is the child with super speed."

"He's just taking this hard. This case is personal for him."

"It's personal for everyone." Superman had to give him that.

"Flash has every right to be upset," Wonder Woman said standing. She gave Batman another cold look. "I just hope you can live with his blood on your hands." She walked out of the room, but no one was brave enough to try and stop her.

"She's just overreacting," Aquaman assured the Dark Knight. "Your reasoning makes a lot of sense. I believe in your plan."

An ordinary person would probably have thanked him for his support considering how opposed other members were, but Batman wasn't an ordinary person. He simply nodded and stood up. "There are no easy choices."

"No," Superman agreed. "but we can only do out best."

Batman left the room without another word to go collect Robin. He walked into the hall to find Robin sitting with Aqualad. "No Kid Flash?"

"He and Flash left in a hurry," Robin replied. He did a summersault into a standing position. "Maybe there was an emergency in Central City."

Deciding not to relay what had just happened, he simply motioned for the boy to follow him. "We're going home."

"Bye Aqualad!"

"Until next time Robin!" Aqualad called back as the small bird ran after his mentor.

As they approached the zeta tube Robin flipped over Batman's shoulder to land in front of him. "Batman, when can I go back to Star again?"

"If Green Arrow leaves Speedy alone then tomorrow night."

Robin smiled. "Awesome! Don't worry. I'll have Speedy on our side in no time!"

'I hope so," Batman thought as he followed Robin back to Gotham. 'I really hope so.'


	15. Trapped and Alone

A/N: I've got another update for you guys! Read and enjoy!

Archery was something that used to bring Roy unbelievable joy. Not that it didn't anymore. He still felt the thrill when he picked up his bow and his heart still gave a flutter when he shot an arrow. Something had changed though. Sometimes he had a hard time deciding if the rush was from excitement or fear; and if the flutter from his heart was happiness or anxiety. He couldn't think about archery without thinking about Oliver. There was a time when even the emerald archer's name was exciting as shooting itself. Green Arrow. The greatest archer in the world. Now, just like holding his bow, the rush was more from fear than admiration. These thoughts weighed on Roy's mind while he ate breakfast. He couldn't deny, no matter how hard he tried, that Oliver scared him. The man was unpredictable, even when he was in a good mood, and his temper was short. Too short. There was also what happened when Oliver lost his temper.

'It's also what happens when I misbehave or get on his nerves,' Roy reminded himself as he finished up his oatmeal. 'If I would just listen and behave he wouldn't be so hard on me.'

Roy finished eating and quickly washed his dishes. Already dressed in loose clothes he made his way down to the range. He stopped in the arsenal to quickly grab his bow and quiver. He walked into the long room on the basement level of the mansion and turned the light on. He smiled as he took in the space. The first time he'd seen this room he'd been ecstatic. A private archery range where he could practice day or night. Then Oliver had actually made him practice day and night for 3 days straight without rest and only minimal food and water. After that, the room became a little less fun. The memory of when he'd first seen it when he was 12 was still nice though, so he channeled that excitement to carry him into the room. He stepped up to one of the alleys and slipped his quiver on. There was some protest from his previously dislocated shoulder at the sudden weight, but he could shrug it off. He rolled his shoulders and neck to relax them. He eyed the targets as he took an arrow from his quiver. They weren't traditional targets with rings, they were human torsos, complete with necks and heads. There were red X's on the places where an arrow would be lethal.

Ignoring the slight tremor that shook his hand and the twisting feeling in his gut, Roy nocked and aimed his arrow. He hit his mark on the first try and loaded another arrow. He quickly emptied his quiver on the torso. He went and retrieved them, ignoring the way his heart pounded when he pulled them from the body. 'Fake,' he reminded himself mentally. 'Fake. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.' The fact that it could be real didn't help. He went back to his standing position and aimed another arrow. His hand started shaking. He couldn't see the fake person, he could only see the real one. The mugger from the week before. The terrified look in his eyes. Begging Roy to let him live, just this once. He shook his head. 'No, no, no, I didn't kill him. I didn't, it wasn't me.'

'You didn't save him either,' a voice whispered in his head. 'You're Green Arrow's accomplice, you're just as guilty.'

"No," Roy whispered, hands shaking. "No, I didn't do it. I didn't kill him."

'Murderer.'

"No!" He shot the arrow and it missed the cadaver by at least a foot. Roy jumped and looked around quickly. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. 'Focus Roy, focus.' He was just glad Oliver hadn't been around to see that. He shivered involuntarily. Oliver didn't tolerate him missing. He nocked another arrow and shot it, hitting his mark exactly. It made him relax a little, but he couldn't breathe properly again until he made every shot that he fired. He rolled his shoulders as walked over to retrieve again, trying to dislodge the pain in his injured shoulder. It made him grit his teeth when he pulled the arrows out of the fake body and wince when he put the arrows back in his quiver. He rubbed it gently. 'I really wish Oliver had left me some pain medicine.' It wasn't like he was going to ask for any. He kept shooting though, firing off arrows that never missed while pain built up in his ribs and shoulder.

Roy kept shooting until noon, by which time his shoulder was screaming and his ribs made it hard to breathe. He knew Oliver hadn't left him anything for lunch, but he still staggered upstairs in the vain hope maybe he'd missed something. Unfortunately, the counters were empty, much like his stomach. He stared longingly at the pantry, mostly at the lock on the door. So he went back downstairs to restring his bow. He added more eight to his draw, like Oliver told him, wincing at how it pulled his shoulder when he pulled the string into place. Once that was done he went back down to the range and started shooting again. Pain spasmed across his body when he drew it and his arrow missed by at least two feet. He winced and shot again, happy he at least hit the target, even if he missed the 'X' he was shooting for. 'It's ok,' he told himself. 'It's ok. Oliver isn't here. He didn't see. It's ok. I have time to get it right. It's ok.' He nocked another arrow and shot again. He hit the 'X' and nodded in satisfaction. Unfortunately, that satisfaction turned back into fear when he missed his next shot. He ignored the pain that had started radiating throughout his body and kept shooting.

Over the course of the afternoon, he managed to get his record back to perfect. By the time he heard Oliver's footsteps he wasn't missing a single shot. Which was good. He felt his guardian's presence behind him just as a muscle in his shoddier spasmed. "Ah!" he let out a cry of pain and accidentally let go of the bowstring. The arrow missed the target and he put his hand on his shoulder to ease the pain. He froze when he felt a hand already there. He swallowed. "H-hi Ollie."

"Hi, Roy." He squeezed Roy's shoulder, getting a gasp of pain from the teen. "Have you been practicing all day?"

"Uh-huh."

"Really?" He squeezed harder and Roy whimpered, knees buckling a little. "Then why did you miss?"

"I-it was an accident. M-my shoulder spasmed- It wasn't my fault!"

"Don't shout at me!"

"Sorry." Oliver released him and Roy staggered away.

"Bow." Roy handed his bow to Oliver without complaint. He tested the draw strength and nodded. "Good. Keep practicing."

Roy took his bow back as his stomach dropped. "Uh….I was wondering if-if maybe I could take a break?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "You want to take a break? After you just missed a shot?"

Roy swallowed and nodded. "Yes please, sir."

"I'll give you a choice." Oh no. "You can either stop until we go on patrol or eat dinner."

"What?!"

"You can't have both. You can take a break, but no dinner."

"B-but I didn't eat lunch-"

"Not my problem. You're the wuss who can't handle training."

Roy blinked, suddenly feeling helpless. He pushed away the urge to break down and cry. "Ollie….please….I'm hungry and my injuries are hurting me."

"Like I said, wuss."

"P-please-"

"Make up your mind Roy, or I'll make it up for you. Break or dinner?"

Roy sighed. He wanted to eat. The hunger pains in his stomach didn't give him a choice. The pain everywhere else though, in his shoulder and ribs, in particular, was far worse. "B-break please."

"Fine. No dinner. Get out of my sight. Your weakness disgusts me."

Roy nodded. "Yes, sir." He left the room and put his bow and quiver away. Upstairs he laid down on his bed to rest his sore limbs. He really wanted pain medicine, but he couldn't risk asking. So he curled up into a tighter ball and tried to relax. HIs stomach growled at him. "Shush," he mumbled. "No food until breakfast." At least, he hoped Oliver would give him breakfast. He wasn't sure how long he laid there until he could vaguely smell dinner downstairs. His mouth watered and his stomach growled louder. A sharp pain in his stomach had him up and silently creeping down the stairs without thinking. He poked his head into the kitchen and discovered Oliver wasn't there. He stared longingly at the food on the stove. A crazy idea popped into his head. It was insane really, but then his stomach growled again and he lost all inhibitions about it. So he tip-toed to the stove and carefully used the spoon in the pan to eat a bite. It was burning hot, but he didn't care. It was food.

"Roy!"

Roy jumped back, accidentally knocking the pan not the floor. "Oh no."

Someone grabbed him from behind and spun him around. Roy cowered away from Oliver. "What were you doing?"

"I-I-"

"Well?!"

"I'm sorry! I was just hungry!"

"What did I tell you about no dinner?!"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't eat lunch and I was just really hungry-"

"I," Oliver tightened his grip on Roy's arm. "am your guardian. I know what's best for you! If I decide not to feed you, it's because you don't deserve to be fed!"

"I'm sorry! Please, Ollie, please! I just wanted something to eat!"

"So you decided to steal food from me?!"

"No!" The slap was so hard it made his ears ring.

"Don't lie to me!"

"I just wanted one bite! I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

"It better not! After everything I do for you, you're an ungrateful bastard for stealing!"

"Yes, sir."

"This isn't even the first time I've caught you doing this!"

"The last time was years ago."

"Clearly you still haven't learned your lesson!"

Blood drained from Roy's face. He still wasn't fully recovered from his last beating. "N-no! No, please! I won't do it again, I swear!"

Oliver looked around, then his eyes landed on the stove. He grabbed Roy's wrist and dragged him closer. "You will learn to obey me, Roy."

Roy realized what was going on and tried to pull away. "No! No Ollie, please! I'll be good! I'll behave I promise!" Oliver didn't listen. Instead, he put Roy's hand on the hot burner. Roy screamed and tears started streaming down his face. "Ah! S-stop! Please!" After a few seconds, although it felt like hours to Roy, Oliver released him. The teen stumbled backward and slipped on the food on the floor. He fell, naturally trying to catch himself with his hands. He screamed again and grabbed his hand by the wrist. Through his tears, he could see the red skin that covered his palm. HIs breathing was haggard. He blew gently on his hand, trying to ease the pain.

"I'm tired of you not listening! You will listen and do what I say! If I tell you not to eat, I expect you to obey!"

Roy nodded. "Y-yes sir."

"Stop crying!" He kicked Roy in the stomach. "Get out of here! I don't want to see you again until patrol! Understood?!"

"Y-yes sir." Roy got up and ran out of the room. He didn't stop running until he'd reached his bathroom. He turned the cold water on and thrust his hand under it. The sudden temperature change nearly caused him to fall to his knees in pain, but he did sag against the countertop. He took deep breaths, focusing his breathing through his nose and mouth. The pain made his fingers curl, but he kept his hand spread out. Glad that he was alone, he let out a whimper, and then a sob. He wiped at his eyes furiously, trying to get rid of the tears. 'Stop crying,' he scolded himself. 'Stop crying you, wuss! No wonder Oliver can't stand you! His ward is crying sissy!' He took another deep breath and wiped his face with a towel. 'Man up. You're a freaking vigilante, act like it!' He took his hand out from under the water and examined it. The skin on his palm was red and swollen. Pain seeped across his entire hand. He sighed as he awkwardly put it back under the cold water and looked through his first aid supplies. Besides having absolute control over pain medicine, Oliver kept him very well stocked with first aid supplies. Presumably because if he died Oliver would be terribly inconvenienced. He pulled out a roll of bandages and antibiotic cream. He turned the water off and dabbed gently at his hand with a towel. He hissed and winced.

After that was done he very gently put the cream on his hand and wrapped it in bandages. 'Patrol is going to suck,' he thought miserably as he walked out into his bedroom. He could feel a pulse in his hand as it hung limply. Although he was used to patrolling in bad condition, there were very few injuries that allowed for Oliver to keep him home. He sat cross-legged on his bed and cradled his burned hand in his lap. He breathed slowly through his teeth, trying not to loose focus. 'Just breathe. It's ok. Just breathe.' He sat like that until the sun went down and it was time for him to get ready for patrol. He left his room slowly, not wanting to go downstairs. He did though and found Oliver in the arsenal waiting for him.

"Get suited up," Oliver said, not even looking at him.

"Yes, sir." Roy suited up and made sure his quiver was fully loaded. He slung it over his shoulder, gritting his teeth in pain. It only got worse when he picked up his bow. He couldn't decide if it was better that his injured hand was the one he held his bow with. Granted it would hurt to hold it and draw against it, but on the other hand nocking arrows and drawing his bowstring with a bandaged hand would be really hard.

"Let's go."

— —

Speedy stuck close to Green Arrow all through the patrol. His mentor didn't allow him to go off on his own, which was kind of a letdown. Some time away from Green Arrow would've helped him relax, but instead, he found himself watching a possible arms deal. He watched the men with Green Arrow. One of them, a well-known crime boss in Star, shook the hand of another man.

Green Arrow growled, making Speedy shiver. "Finally," he huffed. He drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it. "I've been waiting for months to take out this slimeball."

'Great, maybe this will put him in a good mood,' Speedy thought, nocking an arrow to his own bow. The trunks of the cars were opened, revealing some very impressive weaponry that could do some real damage if it made its way out onto the streets. Green Arrow shot the crime boss in the neck. The man let out a strangled cry and went down as the other men pulled out their guns. Green Arrow and Speedy jumped to the ground from their hiding spot.

"Game's over boys," Green Arrow said as the two archers trained their arrows on the group of men. "Justice has arrived."

"You say justice, we say murder, Arrow," one of the men snarled.

"I see no difference when it comes to scum like you."

"How noble." Green Arrow and Speedy fired their arrows into the barrels of the closest guns. Ignoring the pain and burning, Speedy fired off at his best speed, disabling all their guns. He then started firing at their hands, elbows, knees, and feet to keep them unarmed and immobile. Green Arrow, meanwhile, shot them all dead as quickly and efficiently as possible. Speedy did his best not to notice how soaked with crimson the asphalt was becoming. He heard a car door open and saw the driver trying to make a break for it. He shot the man in the knee to keep him from running.

"Green Arrow, over there!" He heard another car door slam and spun around, his arrow already nocked and ready. This driver and a gun, which he fired at Speedy. Speedy dodged and fired his arrow, hitting the guy in the hand. "Over here too!" From the corner of his eye he saw an arrow slice through the air and suddenly it was in the guy's chest. He went down and Speedy swallowed.

"Go search that car."

"Yes, sir." Speedy approached the car, keeping an arrow ready to fire. He found someone in the back seat, hiding on the floor. He used his first arrow to shatter the window, then used his second one to incapacitate the man. There was no one else in the car though. "There's one guy on the floor of the backseat," he told Green Arrow.

"Search the other car."

"Yes, sir." He ran over to the other car, taking a wide berth around the dead body. He looked in the windows but didn't find anyone else. He and Green Arrow met in the middle the lot. "There's no one else."

"Good." Green Arrow looked around and nodded. "Satisfying to see the city cleansed of such a scourge."

"Whatever you say…"

"Come on, seems like tonight's a good night to go on the hunt." Speedy followed him and they had relatively successful patrol after that. Only a block away from the arms deal they found a drug dealer. Only a half an hour after that they found two muggers. Green Arrow took a little bit of time with them. First he pinned them to the wall of a building and shot them just between their legs. Not so that he hit anything, but close enough that it certainly scared the two muggers. Green Arrow started laughing. "Look at 'em squirm Speedy. You ever seen anything like it?"

"N-no sir."

One of the muggers looked at Speedy and smirked. "Sir? He sure keeps you on a short leash boy."

Speedy scowled and fired an arrow right above the one Green Arrow had fired. He didn't hit anything, but it shut the guy up. "You're one to talk."

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you," Green Arrow growled at the criminal. He shot the other mugger, the one who'd intelligently stayed quiet, in the neck. The mugger jerked and fell limp against the arrows holding him up. "You'll be joining your friend here soon." The mugger started struggling against his restraints. Green Arrow sighed dramatically. "Struggling will just prolong the pain. On second thought, please, keep struggling."

The mugger looked at Speedy and froze. "Hey, kid, help me out. Please kid, come on! Show some mercy!"

Speedy swallowed and glanced at Green Arrow, who as watching him like a hawk. Speedy shook his head and stepped back. "I can't. You-you deserve to die." The last part came out as a whisper.

"Please! Come on, please! Don't let him kill me! Please-" He went abruptly silent.

"Let's go," Green Arrow said.

Fifteen minutes later Green Arrow took out two car thieves and someone they caught trying to break into an apartment. All their success seemed to put him in a good mood, based off how he was joking with Speedy towards the end of the patrol. The teen tried not to think too hard about how mentally unstable his mentor had to be to get energized by the number of people he was killing in a single night. By the time they went home, according to Speedy's count, Green Arrow had killed 20 people.

As they were getting undressed, Oliver gave a dramatic sigh. "Another successful night ridding the city of its criminal disease."

"G-good job." Roy winced as he put away his quiver. His shoulder and ribs were on fire, and his hand was spasming with pain.

"Oh, Roy," Roy's heart stopped, "before I forget, I have a business trip tomorrow."

"For how long?"

"Three days, not long."

"Ok." Three days without Oliver, Roy was reasonably excited about it.

"I'll leave out food for those three days. You can eat it whenever, but remember that I'm only leaving you enough for 6 meals."

"Yes, sir."

"While I'm gone I expect you to keep up with your school work and to practice your archery. You should be down in the range for at least four hours a day."

Roy nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Oliver left and went upstairs. Roy felt some tension leave his body. He actually liked it when Oliver was away on business. It gave him a chance to live without walking on eggshells. He finished getting chased and went upstairs, figuring he should re-bandage his hand before he went to bed. 'At least I have three days of peace to look forward to.'


	16. The Turning Point

A/N: After a long week of classes, tests, and papers...its great to be updating this story. Read on!

The three days of peace passed way too quickly for Roy. He managed to spread the food to last for three meals a day, which was a nice change of pace for him; even if it was still too little. Despite the burned hand, he spent hours practicing his archery and did his required amount of schoolwork. The schoolwork was kind of hard and he struggled to understand the math, but he did it none the less, knowing that if he didn't it wouldn't end well for him. His hours of practice didn't help his body heal any faster, but no patrol meant he at least could rest after. The burned hand had started to blister, but he kept it wrapped and cleaned as best he could. It was all he could do. It was when he was examining it that he distantly heard the front door open and close. Fear spiked through his body for a moment before he pushed it down. Moving quickly, (not with dread he tried to convince himself) he re-bandaged his hand and crept out of his bedroom, then downstairs towards Oliver's office. When he got there he poked his head in and found his guardian drinking.

'Oh no.' Roy squashed the newest feeling of fear and knocked on the door.

"Huh? Oh, it's you." Oliver didn't sound especially aggravated, but that didn't make Roy feel better. He knew his guardian could go from calm to angry in nanoseconds.

"H-hi Ollie." Roy took another step in. "How was your trip?"

"Terrible."

Fantastic. Three days of peace and now he had to deal with an irate and aggregated Oliver. "I'm sorry."

"Hm," Oliver sighed. "C'mere."

Roy froze. "What?"

"I said come here."

Deciding it was better to obey, even if a beating was coming, Roy walked over to where Oliver leaning against the fireplace. "Y-yes, sir?"

"People are bastards, Roy. Remember that."

Roy nodded. "Right."

"Here." Roy stumbled back when Oliver suddenly thrust his drink into Roy's face. "Drink."

"Uh….I'm 14."

"I'm your guardian, if I say it's ok, then it's ok."

"I don't think-"

"Drink!"

"Ok…" Roy opened his mouth and Oliver poured the rest of the cup in. It was barely half a mouthful, but it tasted awful. He swallowed the liquid, which tasted like liquid fire and burned his throat. He coughed and gagged while Oliver laughed.

"That'll make you a man!" He slapped Roy on the back, oblivious to the flinch that went through the teen's body. "Where's your schoolwork?"

"Library," Roy gasped.

"I'll go check that." Roy nodded and followed Oliver to the library. He sat down in a chair while the latter went over his schoolwork. "Roy." Oh, that was a fun tone of voice. "Why can't you do this math?"

"I don't know." He really didn't. No matter how many times he read about it, he couldn't get it. "I try."

"Clearly you can't be trying too hard."

"I'm sorry. I'll keep trying."

Oliver snorted. "What's the point? You're obviously an idiot."

Roy hung his head. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault you're stupid." He wasn't sure if that should make him feel better or not. "Oh well. At least you can shoot."

Roy nodded. 'At least I got that going for me.' He wasn't surprised. When he was 12 he used to ask Oliver for help with his school work, but several incidents of his guardian pointing out how stupid he was and getting frustrated ended that. "I'll try to be better."

Oliver snorted. "Why bother? You haven't improved that much over the last two years, I don't expect you to get much better."

'So I'll always be stupid. Great.'

"Come on, I'll make you lunch."

Lunch sounded great to Roy since Oliver hadn't left him anything for breakfast on the day of his return. He followed him to the kitchen and sat at the island while Oliver made him a sandwich. He raised his eyebrows when Ollie put some chips on the plate with his sandwich. "Thank you," Roy said, digging in as soon as the plate was in front of him.

"Do you want juice?'

Roy swallowed. "Yes please." He felt suspicion creeping up in his brain. Oliver never let him have juice. The only thing he was allowed to drink was water. Juice or milk was only allowed on special occasions like his birthday or Christmas. Chips were something else he never got. Snacks weren't allowed at all, and his meals consisted of oatmeal at breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, and whatever Oliver made for dinner. Oliver set a cup of juice down in front of him. "Thank you."

"Eat."

Roy kept eating, keeping one eye on Oliver as he did. 'He's up to something.' He scarfed down the sandwich as fast as he could, partly afraid it would disappear. Once it was gone Oliver dismissed him with a wave of his hand and Roy made his exit swiftly. He went upstairs to his bathroom to clean and re-wrap his burned hand since he'd been interrupted earlier. He carefully examined the blisters, trying to see if one was infected. They seemed to be doing alright though, so he just reapplied the cream and wrapped it in bandages. He passed the rest of the afternoon in his room, watching tv. There wasn't really a lot to do, since using his hand was painful. Patrolling was the only exception to that. He couldn't relax though. Usually, when Oliver had a bad day he was irritable and more prone to hurting him. Roy knew he'd gotten off easy with Oliver just forcing him to drink a small amount of liquor. Then there was the fact that he'd been given chips and juice, which only ever happened when it was a holiday or his birthday.

'He's up to something,' Roy decided as he idly flipped through the channels. 'He's scheming.' He blinked and yawned. With his stomach was feeling surprisingly full it was hard to stay awake. 'Now is a good time for a nap.

— —

"Roy. Roy!"

Roy blinked hazily and sat up. "Huh?"

"Nap time's over," Oliver said from his doorway. "Get up and come eat dinner."

"Yes, sir." Oliver left and Roy rubbed his eyes. He blinked blearily and groaned. "That was a long nap." He stood up and stretched, wincing as it sent pain through his ribs. "Guess it's for the better. Better than getting hit." Give him a nap over a beating any day. Roy went downstairs to the kitchen and discovered dinner was already ready. "Thank you," he said, eyeing the portion sadly. Less than half a bowl of pasts. He ate his dinner without complaint though; quickly making his way through the small portion he'd been given.

"Let's hope for another good hunt tonight."

Roy nodded. "Good hunt."

"Why do we hunt?"

"To rid the city of its criminal disease."

"That's right. The murders and thieves are cancer. You and I- well me really, I'm the doctor."

"True."

"This is the best way to be a vigilante. The most effective."

"The most effective way to be a vigilante." This was Oliver's version of a pep talk. A mantra that he'd both literally and figuratively beaten into Roy's head. The words felt so forced and fake to the teen that all he could do was repeat back half-heartedly.

Oliver stood up and smiled. "Let's go operate."

Roy followed him down to the arsenal. As they suited up, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread. 'They're criminals they don't deserve mercy. They're criminals they don't deserve mercy.'

— —

Patrol was going terribly. After an hour they still hadn't found a single criminal. Speedy could tell Green Arrow was getting irritated with the lack of crime in the neighborhood they were watching. He sighed and shot an arrow in a random direction; Speedy hoped it wouldn't hit someone. "Where is all the scum hiding tonight?" Speedy found himself actually hoping some criminals would show their faces so he didn't have to take Green Arrow's wrath when they got home. The night really started to go downhill when he heard the sirens in the distance. Both he and Green Arrow stood up and watched the red and blue lights bouncing off the buildings in the darkness.

"The police," Speedy breathed. He hated it when the police showed up.

Green Arrow growled in annoyance. "They're heading for us."

'Arrow gave away our position.' He wisely didn't voice his theory. "What'd we do?" He watched Green Arrow for a sign. Interactions between the vigilante and the police of Star City usually didn't end well. As far as Speedy knew Green Arrow had never killed a police officer, but he wasn't above putting them in a hospital or taking out an eye. "Green Arrow?"

"Let's go. We don't have time to deal with them."

Speedy nodded and followed Green Arrow to the ground. The two of them ran down the alley, in the opposite way they saw the police coming. At least five police cars suddenly pulled up in front of the alley though. They stopped and tried to backtrack, only to find the other end blocked as well. Speedy nocked his bow and pointed it one way at the police who were now pointing guns at the two. 'This won't end well.'

"Give it up Green Arrow!" one of the cops yelled. "You got nowhere to run." He gestured up, prompting Speedy to glance at the rooftops. He swallowed.

"They got snipers on the roof," he whispered. How they got set up that fast was beyond him, but when it came to taking down Green Arrow, the police were really aggressive about it usually.

"Put the bows down and put your hands up!"

"What do we do?" Shooting the guns out on the ground would be easy. Doing it while people fired from above would be significantly less easy. "Arrow-" Speedy was cut off when Green Arrow suddenly grabbed him and put an arrowhead to his jugular. "What-"

"Shut up!" his mentor hissed. Green Arrow stared narrowed eyed at the cops. "Let us walk away or I'll kill him!"

"You're bluffing!"

"You wanna take that risk?! Can you so-called 'honorable' boys in blue live with the blood of 14-year-old on your hands?!" Speedy saw several of the cops falter like they'd had no idea Green Arrow's young accomplice was only 14. There was no reply, so obviously they were considering it. "You have until the count of five to decide, or I'll slit his throat!" Speedy sincerely hoped the police would just let them go. He understood they wanted Green Arrow off the streets, but he didn't want to die tonight. Luck was apparently on his side because the cops all lowered their guns. Green Arrow smirked. "Thought so." He pushed Speedy forward, walking him to the edge of the alley. The cops didn't try to stop them as they passed. He glanced around and could swear he saw a few looks of sympathy thrown his way. Once they were on the other side of the street Green Arrow released him. Speedy turned around but jumped to the side when a bullet glanced off a pipe. "Go!"

The two of them ran down the alley and into the night as the cops shot at them. Speedy followed Green Arrow through the now nearly empty streets until they couldn't hear the gunshots anymore. "I think we lost them."

Green Arrow nodded. "Just goes to show you how low the police are. They claim to serve justice, but they try to stop it when it's being done."

Speedy nodded. He absentmindedly put his hand to his neck, right where Green Arrow had threatened to gut him not too long ago. A shiver ran through his body, but he then straightened up. "What now?"

"We keep moving. There's bound to be-" He stopped when they heard a scream. "Let's go!" Speedy followed him towards the scream they'd just heard. They turned a coulee of corners and found a woman being held by a man at knifepoint. Green Arrow shot the knife out of the unfortunate muter's hand. "Stop!" The man, apparently not that bright, turned and ran the other way. "Speedy."

'Why do they always run?!' Speedy demanded silently as he shot the mugger who'd tried to run. The man went down with a cry of anguish. "Next time don't run."

"There won't be a 'next time'," Green Arrow reminded him. The two of them approached the mugger as the old lady ran off. Green Arrow grabbed the guy by the cuff of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "We have a one strike police here in Star."

"Come on man," the mugger pleaded uselessly. "I-I won't do it again I swear." Speedy braced himself and waited for Green Arrow to nock his bow. He didn't though. Instead, Green Arrow looked at him.

"Finish him."

Speedy swallowed. "F-finish him?"

"Are you deaf boy?!" Green Arrow smacked the back of his head. "Finish him!"

Speedy nodded and quickly nocked his bow. He pointed the arrow right at the guy's trachea. 'Just like in the range,' he reminded himself. 'Just like in the range.' Except it wasn't like in the range at all. In the range he could shoot the bodies all he wanted, they wouldn't bleed. This guy wasn't a fake dummy. He was an actual person with a beating heart who probably had a family. 'They're scum they don't deserve to live.'

"Speedy! Don't disobey me! Finish him!"

Fear coursed through the young vigilante. He didn't want to get in trouble again but still couldn't bring himself to move his fingers off the bowstring. He heard Green Arrow sigh. A larger hand enclosed his bandaged hand around his bow. He glanced down and saw the same thing on his bowstring. "What-"

"Nice and easy." Green Arrow dug his fingers under Speedy's, removing them from the bowstring. Before the teen could react his arrow shot forward, hitting the mugger right in the neck. Speedy froze. The mugger's body jerked then fell to the ground. Speedy lost all feeling in his limbs. He couldn't see anything but the red arrow sticking out of the guy's neck. His arrow. His arrow that had just killed this guy. "Come on," Green Arrow said, grabbing his arm. Speedy let himself be pulled. Even after they left the alley, all he could see was the arrow in the guy's neck.

— —

When they got back home it took several seconds for Speedy to realize where they were. He dropped his bow and blinked in confusion. 'When did we get here?' He ripped his mask off with shaking hands.

"Roy. Roy. Roy!" Roy's head snapped up, suddenly finding Oliver in front of him. HIs guardian smiled and put his hand's on the teen's shoulders. "What did I tell you, huh? You're capable of doing something right for once if you just relax." He chuckled and gave Roy's shoulder's a squeeze. "We'll make a vigilante out of you yet." Oliver turned away to get undressed, but Roy still didn't move. He slowly looked down at the mask that was crumpled in his hand. Without thinking he ran out of the arsenal and didn't stop running until he'd reached his bedroom. He slammed the door shut just as his hands started shaking. The tremors made it a little hard to get his quiver off, but once he did he threw it across the room. The arrows scattered over the floor like long blood droplets on the carpet. The sight of them made the teen's breath hitch. Roy slid down to the ground with his back against the door. His stomach churned as the mugger's blood flashed through his mind.

'I'm a murderer!' He buried his head in his knees and grabbed his hair. 'I'm a murderer!' He glanced up at his bed. The beacon Robin had given him was hidden in the box-spring. Tears pricked at his eyes. Robin would never want to be his friend again after this. Batman would never want to help him once he found out what happened. He let out a sob. The Justice League would never want to help him after this. Roy curled up into a ball and cried. He'd killed someone. He was a murderer. He was no better than Green Arrow now. No one was ever going to care about him again. Why should they? There truly was no way out. Green Arrow had finally turned him into a killer and Roy was going to end up just like him.


	17. No Turning Back

Batman was going over footage before patrol when he saw it. After the scare with the League not knowing if Roy was alive, he'd started checking the footage three times a day. He scoured the security footage until he found a confrontation between Green Arrow and the police. His jaw tightened. While he knew the Star City police weren't as bad as the Gotham police, he didn't approve of how they looked the other way when it came to Green Arrow when it benefited them. His eyes never left Speedy who, judging by his body language, wasn't happy about the confrontation. 'Not surprising, since Green Arrow has a tendency to injure police who get in his way.' Anger flared through him when Green Arrow suddenly grabbed his young partner and put an arrow to his neck. He needed to remind himself to breathe as he watched. Luckily, the cops let them go, although none of them moved to save the teenager from the grown man using him as a hostage. Batman quickly followed their movements as best he could, which wasn't easy once they started running. They stopped briefly then started running again. Batman followed their movements, trying to keep eyes on them. When they stopped again they were stopping a mugging. He waited for Green Arrow to kill the mugger mercilessly like he always did.

Instead what he got was Green Arrow stepping aside and Speedy raising his arrow. Batman leaned forward as Speedy hesitated. 'Good kid. Keep resisting. You don't need to kill.' Apparently, Green Arrow had other ideas because in the next moment he stopped feared and put his hands on Speedy's. Batman stood up, knocking his chair back when the arrow was shot. "No." The arrow didn't miss. It hit the mugger in the neck. "Robin!" Batman worked quickly, getting the video onto a flash drive. He put his com in his ear. "All Justice League members report the Watchtower."

"Batman, what's going on?" Superman asked.

"I'll explain later, just get there. Bring the kids."

"Why?" Flash asked.

"I'll explain later." He turned his comm off. "Robin!" He turned around, only to find Robin standing behind him.

"Yes?" Robin asked, quickly adjusting his cape.

"Let's go." Batman didn't wait for him as he walked to the Bat mobile. Robin followed with ease, flipping into his seat.

"What's going on? I thought we were patrolling tonight?" Gotham zoomed by at amazing speeds.

"Change of plans." He just barely took time to deploy the Bat mobile's cloaking device before he got out. Robin followed him through the zeta and they came out on the Watchtower.

"Batman, 02.

"Robin, B01."

"Robin, wait here," Batman said, not stopping to explain.

"But-"

"Stay!"

Robin stopped in his tracks and watched Batman practically run to the Justice League meeting room. "What-" Wonder Woman flew past him, Green Lantern hot on her heels. A second later Kid Flash stopped side him while Flash ran on.

"Hey, Rob!" Kid Flash said, obviously oblivious to the situation. "My Uncle's letting me stay up past my bedtime! How cool is that?!"

"Asterous, do you know what's going on?"

"Uh….no."

Aquaman hurried past while Aqualad approached his companions with calm. "Greetings," he said.

"Do you know what's going on?!" Robin demanded.

"Dude, not even a hello?" Kid Flash asked.

"Hello. Do you know what's going on?"

"I do not," Aqualad answered, un-wavered by the young bird's enthusiasm.

"Ugh!"

"Why are you so concerned?"

"Batman wouldn't cancel our patrol for just anything." He looked down the hall and narrowed his eyes. "Something's going on."

— —

In the Justice League meeting room, Batman didn't wait to sit before he put the video up. Superman was already there waiting for him. "Batman what-" he began, but Batman stopped him.

"Wait."

They waited two minutes before the rest of the Justice League had arrived. "Ok what-" He stopped when Batman played the video. Every member watched with baited breath. When the mugger died Batman stopped the video. "Oh my god."

"He- he-" Flash stammered, for once at a loss for words.

"Green Arrow forced him to shoot," Wonder Woman said.

Martian Manhunter nodded. "Indeed, Speedy was not in control."

"Try convincing him of that," Batman said.

"Batman, we have to intervene," Superman said. "Now."

"We need a vote."

"All in favor?" Seven hands went up in unison. "Do it."

Batman nodded and ran from the room. He ran to where he'd left Robin, hoping the boy hadn't left the spot. "Robin!"

Robin turned around. "Yes, Batman?"

"Take the closest zeta to star city that you can." He typed something into the boy's wrist computer. "This code will let you through. It's about a mile from Queen's home."

"Why-"

"Don't ask questions! Listen. You must bring Speedy back with you at all costs."

"But-"

"No buts. Bring Speedy back with you. Do whatever it takes to make him come with you. By any means necessary."

Robin nodded. "Ok." He ran to the zeta and quickly put in the code, then the was gone.

"Batman, what is happening?" Aqualad asked.

"Did something happen to Speedy?!" Kid Flash asked in concern.

"The League has decided that it is time to remove Speedy from Green Arrow's care," Batman replied evenly. "Both of you come with me."

Kid Flash gave Aqualad a look as they followed Batman to the meeting room. As soon as they walked in, Kid Flash ran to Flash's side. "Flash what's going on?" he asked.

"Everything's fine Kid," Flash assured him. "We're just….getting Speedy out of Star tonight."

"What're we going to do once he's here?" Green Lantern asked him. Everyone looked at him. "We can't just keep him on the Watchtower."

"He can stay with me." Flash wrapped an arm around Kid Flash. "Iris would be fine with it."

"Seems like an obvious choice," Wonder Woman agreed.

"That's the problem," Batman said. "It's too obvious. Flash is a well-liked member of the League. When Oliver goes looking for Roy, Central will probably be one of the first places he checks."

"Not to mention, you'll have to keep him hidden," Superman added.

"We could hide him from Oliver," Flash said.

"Not just from Oliver. He might be bad at it, but legally, he is Roy's guardian. It's technically kidnapping if he's found by the authorities. Whoever takes him would need to keep him hidden from everyone. Someone with recourse to properly take care of him without the outside world noticing. Someone with a lot of extra space." Batman didn't have to look to know Superman was looking at him.

"You want me to take him?" he asked. This seemed like a bad idea. He had next to no idea how to take care of a child in Roy's situation. Barry had far more experience in that area.

"Yes. You have the resources to take care of him without being noticed and you have Robin." Batman frowned. "He's probably the only person Roy trusts right now. I don't think it'd be a good idea to split them up." That was a valid point.

"Very well. Roy will come to Gotham with Robin and I." He stepped away from the others for a moment to radio the Bat Cave. "Agent A."

"Batman," Alfred replied.

"We are removing Speedy from Green Arrow's care tonight. He will be coming back with us."

"Very good sir."

It kind of surprised him that Alfred so readily accepted that Roy would be coming to live with them. Batman sighed and rejoined the others; hoping Robin was successful in bringing Speedy back with him.

— —

Robin stepped out and was surrounded by trees. 'Yeah Batman's been keeping a lot from me.' He looked back at the zeta, which was camouflaged to blend in nicely with the forest around it. He quickly brought up a map of the area. It was to find Oliver Queen's home on his map and he took off. He ran through the dark first with ease, launching himself over bushes without bothering to go around. Truthfully, Robin didn't know why Batman had suddenly decided to have him extract Roy now, but he also didn't care. The sooner they could get Roy away from Oliver the better. He didn't know what he would do or say to convince Roy to come, but as a last resort, he could just knock the teen unconscious. A wall came up in his way, but he didn't stop. Instead, he jumped up, launching himself into a tree. He climbed the tree with ease, up to the tallest and thinnest branches. Without missing a beat he kicked off the tree trunk and flipped over the wall with ease. He landed in a crouch, taking a moment to assess the situation. Confident that he hadn't been detected, he sprinted across the large yard. It wasn't as large as the yard at Wayne Manor, which he'd spent many hours sprinting across in his training. Oliver Queen's mansion soon came into view and Robin picked out Speedy's window easily.

He took out his grappling hook and shot it up at the building. With a single, graceful tug he pulled himself off the ground. He landed on Speedy's balcony and slid out his lock picks. Within seconds he had the window unlocked and slipped inside. "Speedy?" he whispered. It was dark in the room, so he turned on the lamp. Roy was sitting by the bedroom door. It seemed to take him a minute to realize Robin was there. When he realized it his body went rigidly still.

"R-Robin?" Roy asked in a shaky voice. "How do you know-"

"That's not important listen-"

"You shouldn't be here!" Roy stood up suddenly as Robin got near. He pushed the boy wonder back. "Get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving without you!"

"If Green Arrow finds you he'll kill you! I won't be able to protect you!"

"Oliver doesn't scare me! Roy, you have to come with me."

Roy froze and his eyes narrowed. "How do you know our names?"

Robin sighed. "Roy-"

"How do you know our names?"

"I- I've always known your names."

"You-"

"Batman knows everything."

"You knew who I was this whole time?!"

"Yes. Roy, please listen. You have to come with me."

Roy sighed sadly and stepped back. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Batman can protect you from Oliver, I promise."

"No Robin, you don't understand-"

"I do!" Robin insisted; misunderstanding Speedy's words. He sighed, then remembered Batman had told him to do whatever it took. 'It's now or never.' He reached up and took off his mask.

Roy gasped. "Richard Grayson?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah."

"You're Robin?!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down or Oliver will hear us!"

"You're Robin. You met me as Speedy, but then met me as Roy-"

"Roy please-"

"You lied to me."

Robin sighed. "Roy-"

"You lied to me! I thought I could trust you but you- You lied to me."

"Roy please!"

"No! You kept all this from me and expect me to trust you?!"

"Roy I would never hurt you-"

"No, but you would lie and keep secrets. I thought you were my friend!"

"I am! Roy, I wanted to tell you! I swear I did! Batman said I couldn't!"

Roy crossed his arms. "Why now?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Roy, I get it. Oliver gave you a home when you needed it the most and he took care of you when no one else would. I really do get it. But you don't owe him anything! I know this is hard, but you have to come with me."

Roy shook his head. "I can't."

"You can. I promise Batman and the Justice League will protect you. They can keep Oliver away from you."

"Robin-"

"Roy, please. I know I lied and I'm sorry." He took a step closer. "You aren't safe here. Oliver won't stop hurting you."

Roy shifted uncomfortably. "You don't know that," he mumbled, not quite believing it himself.

"I do. I'm your friend. I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you, but-"

"No buts. You have to leave Roy. You can't stay."

Roy wanted to resist. Part of his brain as telling him to call for Oliver. The other part didn't want to face another beating. He looked at the young boy and saw the sincerity in his eyes. He let out a breath. "Ok."

"Really?"

Roy nodded. "Ok. Let's go."

Robin grinned and secured his mask to his face. "Let's go."

"Give me a second."

"You got it!" Roy went over to his bed and knelt down to reach underneath it. He pulled out his charred longbow and held it in his hand for a second. He saw it burning in the fireplace while pain set his body on fire. He stood up and found Robin was waiting for him.

"Ready?" Roy nodded. Robin grinned and turned on his comm. "Robin to Batman."

"Robin report," Batman said.

"I have Speedy and we're heading to the Watchtower." He turned his com off and ran to the window. Roy followed at a slower pace. As he passed his pillow he paused. He crushed his mask in his hand. Once he left there would be no turning back. He closed his eyes for a brief moment then nodded. Before he could lose his nerve, he set his mask down on his pillow, laying it out flat. "Roy?" Roy looked back at Robin, who was watching him from the window. "Ready?"

Roy took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go." He followed Robin through the window and to his balcony. Robin showed him the grappling line and slid down. Roy swallowed, hooked his bow with his elbow, and grabbed the line. He slid down to the ground, landing next to Robin with a soft thump. He heart was pounding. Robin retrieved his grappling hook and grabbed Roy's hand. "Come on." The two of them sprinted across the lawn. Roy, heart pounded against his ribs with every step he took. He couldn't stop looking around, expecting Oliver to jump out of the shadows. He could perfectly see the man shooting Robin in the neck and dragging him back. Roy kept running, trying to outrun Oliver asking him what he'd said about trying to leave. Luckily they reached the wall and it snapped him back to reality.

"We're trapped."

"Hardly." Robin shot his grappling hook up at the tree. "Grab on."

"What?"

"Put your arms around me." Roy did so, wrapping his arms around Robin's shoulders. He was careful not to poke the boy with his bow. "Hold on." Robin retracted the line and jumped. Roy wasn't as heavy as Robin thought he would be. He pushed off the wall and used the momentum to propel them over. While Roy's weight wasn't as significant as he thought it would be, his height was. They cleared the wall, but Roy's feet grazed the top of it. An alarm blared and he let go of Robin in shock. This dropped him onto the ground. He looked back and paled.

"Oh no."

Robin landed beside him and grabbed his arm. Roy flinched back, jerking his arm away. "Roy-"

"We're dead. We're so dead, he's going to catch us!"

"Not if you keep moving. Come on." He pulled Roy to his feet and gripped his hand. "I've got you." He took off running, practically dragging Roy behind him.

"So dead, so dead, so dead."

"it'll be ok Roy." Going around the bushes was a lot harder than flipping over them, but it was necessary due to Roy. When he finally saw the zeta coming up he smiled in relief. "Finally." He stopped in front of it and quickly uncovered the control panel. He put in the code that Batman had given him. "Let's go."

Roy heisted. "I can't-"

"You can." Robin took his hand again. "You've come this far, you can keep going. I'm right here."

"Don't leave me."

"I won't. Promise."

Roy nodded held his longbow tighter. "Ok."

Robin led him through the zeta tube. Away from Star and away from Oliver.

— —

"Robin, B01.

"Authorized Guest."

Roy blinked then they stepped out of the glowing light. Robin led him forward gently, moving with a lot less haste than before. "Welcome to the Watchtower, official Headquarters of the Justice League." He led Roy towards the Justice League meeting room. Kid Flash and Aqualad weren't where he'd left them last. As if sensing Robin thought his name, Kid Flash suddenly zoomed around the corner and stopped right in front of them.

"Hey, Speedy!"

Roy took half a step back. Robin squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Easy KId."

"I know, Flash told me to keep it 'dialed down'." He even used finger quotes. "Whatever that means."

"I think it means," Aqualad said coming around the corner, "you should be calmer than your usual self." He smiled at Roy. "You must the archer called Speedy. I am Aqualad."

Roy took another step back. He nodded in greeting and got a nod in return. Robin turned to Aqualad. "Where's the League?"

"In the meeting room. They wanted to send out Kid Flash and myself first to….put Speedy more at ease before he meets the whole League."

Robin glanced back at his companion, who was pale and shaky. 'Yeah. Ease.' Roy calming down probably wasn't happening anytime soon. "We should take him to them."

Kid Flash grinned. "Right this way." He took off, apparently forgetting the rest of them didn't have super speed. Aqualad chuckled and followed. Robin tried to move, but Roy stayed still, keeping him in place. "Roy?"

"Robin, are you coming?"

"You go on ahead. We'll catch up." He faced Roy completely. "What's wrong?"

"I can't- I don't-"

"You don't have to be scared of the League. They just want to help."

"I just-"

"Hey, as long as I'm here nothing bad will happen."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Cross my heart." As if to emphasize he quickly drew an X over his R insignia. "Come on."

"Ok." Roy followed Robin slowly, but the boy didn't rush him. They made their way down the hall to the meeting room. As they approached a door, Roy considered trying to turn back, then realized he couldn't because of how Robin was holding his hand. Robin opened the door and led him through. On the other side, Roy found the Justice League waiting for him. He took them in quickly, then moved behind Robin. Kid Flash and Aqualad were each standing by who he assumed were Flash and Aquaman respectively. He quickly scanned each of their faces, looking for signs of anger or aggression. They stopped a few feet from the League. "Everyone, this is Speedy. Speedy, this is the Justice League." Not surprisingly, to Robin at least, it was Superman who moved first. He walked slowly towards the boys and knelt down. In his experience, when working with scared kids being at their eye level helped.

"Nice to meet you Speedy. I'm Superman." He held his hand out and Roy flinched back. Robin didn't miss the look of anger that flashed across Superman's face, or the way Flash pulled Kid Flash closer. Apparently Speedy noticed the first thing too because he let out a small whine and took a step back again.

"Back up Clark," Batman advised him.

"Give him space," Flash added.

Superman put his hand down and slowly back up, coming to stand again. Batman walked out to stand next to him. "Perhaps we should take him to the med bay and check him out." It was obvious Roy was too distraught to meet them all. Superman nodded.

"Good idea." He looked at the boys. "This way." He led the boys out of the room, while Batman brought up the rear. Roy could feel the presence of the Bat behind him and moved closer to Robin. Robin squeezed his hand again.

"It's ok," he whispered. "It's ok."

They reached the medbay and Superman led them into an empty room. "Roy, would you please sit on the table?"

Roy hopped onto the table without letting go of either Robin or his bow. He did, however, hide his bow behind his back once he was sitting. Batman looked at Robin. "Robin, you should wait outside." Roy made another distressed sound and terror flashed across his face.

"Maybe he should stay."

As much as Batman hated it, he knew Superman was right. Roy was liable to have a panic attack if they tried to separate him from Robin. As if to illustrate his point, Roy's panic dialed back down from an 11 to a 9 as Robin spoke softly to him. "Fine, he can stay. Check him for internal injuries. Just focus on anything life-threatening for now."

Superman nodded. "Roy, I'm going to scan you with my x-ray vision. It's not going to hurt, I promise." Roy gave Robin an uneasy look, but Robin nodded encouragingly. Superman did the scan quickly. "Three fractured ribs. Lots of bruising on ribs and arms. Recently dislocated left shoulder." He stopped and looked at Batman. "Nothing life endangering." To Roy at least. Life endangering to Oliver, now that remained to be seen.

"Good."

"Do you think we should look at his other injuries?"

"Not tonight."

"Batman," Robin said, getting his mentor's attention. "Is Roy staying here on the Watchtower?"

Batman shook his head. "No. He's coming home with us."

Robin beamed. "He's coming to Gotham?"

"Yes. I've already informed Agent A that he'll be coming."

"Hear that Roy? You get to come live with me!" Roy didn't respond, but Batman didn't miss the look of uncertainty that glanced his way.

"I'm taking them home," Batman said to Superman. "He needs rest."

Superman nodded. "Good idea." He smiled at Roy and moved to put his hand on the teen's shoulder, but Roy flinched back. "Glad you're finally with us Roy. Good luck," he added under his breath to Batman.

"Come on," Batman said to the boys. Roy grabbed his bow and let Robin help him down. He gently herded them out of the Med Bay and towards the zeta tube. Robin noticed they didn't see anyone on their way. Batman allowed them to access the zeta tube and Robin led Roy through. Batman had to admire Roy's commitment as he never let go of Robin's hand, even when slipping through the fence. Once he was through himself, he quickly grabbed his cape and wrapped part of it around Roy. This got a scared outburst from him and a glare from Robin. "I need to cover your face. If someone sees us, we can't have them recognize you. It's only until we get to the Batmobile." Granted that was a distance of a few feet, but Batman wasn't willing to take any chances. When they got close Batman disabled the Bat mobile's cloaking device. He released Roy and the teen pressed himself closer to Robin. Robin started talking to him again quietly as he helped Roy get into the backseat.

"You're gonna like the Bat Cave," he said, trying to keep Roy distracted. "It's got a dinosaur! You'll like our home even better. And Agent A. He's great! He makes the best cookies and hot chocolate. He can look at your injuries too."

Batman was thankful for Robin's rambling, for once. He periodically looked back at them as he drove. Roy didn't seem to relax but remained alert and scared, which wasn't surprising. Batman didn't expect him to suddenly trust them. He just hopped Roy would relax enough to get some rest and let Alfred look at his injuries in the morning. Once they pulled into the Bat cave Robin gently pulled Roy out. Batman looked at him and pulled back his cowl. "Welcome to the Bat Cave."

Roy blinked at the sudden appearance of Bruce Wayne. It made sense though. 'Are all billionaires vigilantes?' Robin smiled up at him. "Come on." He led Roy farther into the cave where Alfred was waiting for them. Bruce followed right behind them.

"Alfred, this is Roy Harper. Roy, this is Alfred. He's my butler."

"He's awesome!"

Alfred smiled. "Thank you, Master Dick." He looked at the red-haired teen. "Very nice to meet you, Master Roy."

"Alfred, I need to talk to Dick, can you take Roy upstairs please?"

Alfred nodded. "I shall take Master Roy to his room."

Roy squeezed Dick's hand and moved closer to him. Dick gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "It's ok," he reassured his friend. "Alfred won't hurt you. He's really nice. Unless you make a mess in the kitchen."

"Go with Alfred, Roy," Bruce said. "Dick and I will join you in a few minutes."

Roy didn't want to leave Dick, but he realized he didn't have a choice. He reluctantly let go of Dick's hand and followed the old butler up a flight of stairs. He looked back at Dick pleadingly, but the boy gave him a thumbs up of encouragement. Dick took off his mask and beamed up at Bruce. "We did it! Roy is safe and Oliver can't hit him anymore!"

Bruce nodded and sat down in his Bat computer chair. "That's right."

Dick bounced over to him, still beaming. "Everything's going to be alright!"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Dick, what Roy went through, especially the brutality of it, it's going to take him a while to move on from it. Did you notice how scared he was on the Watchtower?" Dick nodded. "He's going to be like that for a while."

"He's going to get better though, right?"

That Bruce wasn't certain about. "I hope so Dick."

"He has to! We'll help him! He'll be better in no time!"

Bruce loved Dick's optimism. "I hope so. We have to be patient though. Don't expect him to get better overnight. This will likely take a while."

Dick nodded. "Ok, Bruce."

"Good. Let's get changed so we can go upstairs."

— —

Roy wasn't sure how to feel when the staircase let him out in a grandfather clock. He looked around in amazement. "This is Master Bruce's study," Alfred informed him. "This way." Roy followed the man apprehensively. He didn't want to do anything that would upset someone. They went up another flight of stairs, and yet another, before Alfred led him to a room. "This will be your room Master Roy." He stepped aside and allowed Roy to examine the room on his own.

Roy stopped inside and looked around. As he passed the door he noticed it could lock. He made a mental note of it. 'If Mr. Wayne wanted he could lock me in here.' The room was about the size of his room he'd had with Oliver. It was a lot emptier, similar to how his old room and been when he first moved in. He walked slowly, examining the empty shelves and closet.

"You like it?" Roy spun around and find Dick standing in the room with Bruce. "My room is down the hall. So is Bruce's." That honestly didn't make Roy feel better. In Star, he'd always gotten comfort from the fact that Oliver was on a different floor than him while he was sleeping.

"It's not much for now," Bruce said, trying to get something out of Roy besides fear. "It'll look better once we get you some clothes and things to out in here."

Fear crept up Roy's spine. 'No way,' he thought. 'I'm not falling for that again.' Bruce frowned when Roy didn't respond, then mentally scolded himself when it made Roy flinch. Clearly, the teen thought the frown was out of anger or disappointment. Luckily Alfred was there. "Sir, perhaps we should let Master Roy rest. No doubt this has been an eventful night for him."

Bruce nodded. "Yes." He looked down at Dick. "Say good-night, then go get ready for bed."

Dick grinned and ran to Roy. He hugged Roy, who flinched and tried to push him away. Dick took a step back. "Sorry. Night Roy. If you need anything my room is down the hall on the left! Sleep good!"

Bruce smiled and pat Dick's back as he passed. "I'll come say good night later."

"OK. Night Alfie."

"Sleep well Master Dick," Alfred said, returning the boy's hug. Dick left the room, leaving Ro alone with the two men. Bruce walked closer and Roy took two steps back.

"I'm sorry about Dick," he said. "He's easily excited."

"It's ok," Roy whispered so quietly Bruce almost missed it.

"We'll get you some clothes first thing in the morning. Get some rest, I know tonight has been a long night for you. If you need anything come find Dick or me."

"Or myself," Alfred put in.

"Of course, sorry Alfred. Alfred too. Got it?"

Roy nodded. "Yes sir," he answered quietly.

"Call me Bruce. I'll see you in the morning." He left the room and went to go make sure Dick was actually getting ready for bed and not getting distracted.

"Sleep well Master Roy," Alfred said. He shut the door behind him as he left.

Roy waited a minute before he dared move. He set his bow down on the bed and approached the door cautiously. Cautiously, he tested the door nob and discovered it was unlocked. 'Maybe it's a test.' He wandered back to the bed and sat down on the edge. It was really soft and comfortable. He rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. 'Ok,' he decided. 'Ok.' He sat up and nodded to himself. "Ok." Roy hid his bow under the bed and turned off the light. He was still in his suit, but he didn't care. Too exhausted to care, he kicked off his boots and curled up under the blankets. Sleep felt impossible though. His brain was too busy wondering how Oliver reacted to finding him gone. 'He's going to be pissed.' Roy shivered. He didn't know if he liked it here better yet. 'What if living here is worse than living with Ollie? What if Mr. Wayne is worse than him?' He shivered again and wrapped his arms around himself. 'If Ollie finds me here he'll kill me.' Roy didn't sleep but instead spent most of the night staring out at the darkness and trying to stay calm.

 **A/N** : Here it is! The chapter I'm sure many of you have been waiting for. Just because Roy's out of Star doesn't mean the story's over though. Be sure to come back and see what's going to happen next.


	18. Day One

A/N: Hello everyone! I don't think I've said it yet, so thank you to everyone who's reading and supporting this story! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying it! There's some strong language in this chapter, but nothing you probably haven't heard before. Enjoy!

When he first woke up, Roy was really confused. He blinked and looked around bleakly at the room. 'Why am I here?' He sat up and it at all came back to him. Killing that guy. Robin in his room. The arrow in his neck. Running. The arrow in the neck. Watchtower. Blood. Lot's of blood. So red. Like the arrow. Bruce Wayne. Gotham. Lots of blood on his hands. Knocking on his door brought him back to reality. "Uh….come in?"

The door opened and Dick came bounding over to his bed. "Morning!" He launched himself up and landed in front of Roy, starting the teen backward. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh….." Roy was pretty sure he'd only slept for a couple of hours since he could clearly remember spending hours laying awake; worrying about Oliver finding him. Or if Bruce Wayne was really as nice as Dick kept saying he was. Or if he'd just be like Oliver was because Roy was apparently a terrible person. Well, after last night he was certain he was a terrible person.

"Roy!"

"Huh?"

"You didn't answer. You ok?"

"I- yeah. I'm fine."

"Great! So did you sleep well?"

Roy hesitated. "Uh….sure."

"Great! Come on, breakfast is waiting!" Dick grabbed Roy's hand and led him away. Luckily they walked a slightly leisurely pace. As they walked Roy looked around, trying to get a good look at his new home. They got down to the first floor and Dick led him into a dining room. Roy almost stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bruce sitting at the head of the table rating a newspaper. "Morning Bruce."

"Good morning Dick. Morning Roy."

"Roy, you sit here." Dick sat Roy down in a chair, next to Bruce much to the anxious teen's surprise, and then sat down across from him.

"How did you sleep, Roy?" Bruce asked. Judging by the dark circles and pale complexion he probably hadn't slept a lot.

"Um…I slept fine Mr. Wayne."

"Mr. Wayne?" Dick asked making a face.

Bruce smiled friendly. "Please, Roy call me Bruce." Roy fidgeted and look down, making Bruce worry that he'd done something to offend him. Luckily he was once again saved by Alfred.

"Here you are sir," Alfred said, placing Bruce's breakfast in front of him.

"No waffles?" Dick asked disappointedly.

"Sorry Master Dick, but we did not have the necessary ingredients. I shall pick some up while I am out today."

"So waffles tomorrow?"

"Of course young sir."

"Yes!" Apparently satisfied, he dug into his eggs.

"Here you are Master Roy." Alfred placed the plate in front of Roy.

"Th-thank you," Roy said reflexively. He slowly picked up his fork and started eating. He took a bite and was taken by surprise. In the two years, he'd live with Oliver he'd never had eggs. He ate quickly, enjoying the delicious taste. Unknown to him, Bruce kept glancing at him as they ate. He made a note of how Roy ate quickly.

"Roy slow down or you'll choke," he advised. Roy froze when Bruce spoke and he cursed himself silently. 'Good job Wayne, way to scare the kid.' He considered his next words carefully. "Don't stop eating, just eat slower."

"Yes, sir."

Bruce decided to let the 'sir' drop for now and settled for keeping an eye on Roy as he ate. He didn't look malnourished, but Bruce had yet to see him without a shirt on so he didn't know how thin Roy was. Judging solely by how he ate, Bruce guessed that food was probably a sore subject. 'No doubt Queen used food, or lack thereof, as a way to manipulate Roy.' The boy couldn't have been that malnourished, or a doctor would've surely noticed. Speaking of which… "Roy after breakfast I want you to come downstairs to the Bat cave with Alfred and I so we can look at your injuries."

"Uh…I don't want-"

"This isn't a choice Roy."

"Sorry, sir."

Dick gave Bruce a look, much to Bruce's confusion. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve the look though. Roy finished soon after that and sat quietly, looking down at the table. "Alfred, we should probably get this done."

"Of course sir," Alfred replied. "Follow me please Master Roy."

"Yes, sir." Dick snorted and Bruce gave him the look for earlier.

"Please call me Alfred."

"Don't laugh at him," Bruce muttered to Dick as he stood up. He followed Roy and Alfred to his study, and then down to the Bat cave.

"Please sit Master Roy," Alfred said, gesturing to the medical table.

Roy hopped onto the table, wrapping his arms around himself. He wished Dick had come with them. 'Just do what they say, and they probably won't hurt you,' he reminded himself mentally. Part of his anxiety turned to confusion when he saw Bruce holding a camera.

"Roy, I need to document the injuries Oliver gave you." He didn't think Roy could get any paler, but he was wrong. "I'm sorry Roy. I'm sure this makes you uncomfortable, but it has to be done." Roy was going to protest, then quickly shut his mouth. The last thing he wanted was for Mr. Wayne to get mad at him for questioning him or talking back. He wrapped his arms tighter and put his head down. Bruce sighed internally. He caught Alfred's eye and Alfred gave him a nod of encouragement. "Let's start with something easy. Can you look up please?" Roy looked at him and Bruce took a picture of his face.

"Turn your head Master Roy," Alfred said. He held Roy's chin gently with his hand, despite the flinch it got from the teen. He gently guided Roy's head to the side so Bruce could document that too. He turned Roy's head to the other side. On this side, he could see Roy's eyes and his heart broke at how terrified they were. Bruce gently tapped his neck and Alfred nodded. "Lift your head please." He gently helped Roy tip his head back so Bruce could clearly see his neck. Both men were angered when they saw the dark, hand shaped bruises that wrapped around Roy's neck. "You're doing very good young sir."

"Alfred, can you unwrap his hand please?"

Roy barely blinked as Alfred lifted up his burned hand and unwrapped the bandages. "My word," Alfred gasped when he saw the second-degree burn. He held the hand gently so Bruce could take a picture. "How did this happen?" Roy looked away and the two men guessed they wouldn't be getting an answer. "It looks like it's been taken care of nicely, but perhaps we should have Dr. Thompkins take a look just in case."

"Did Oliver take you to a doctor after that happened?" Bruce asked gently. He could only imagine what stay they would've had to make up.

"He-he didn't," Roy answered quietly.

"He didn't take you to a doctor?" Roy shook his head. Of course not. "Can take your shirt off please?" Roy once again reminded himself that if he wanted to avoid more bruises he needed to listen and do what he was told. He gently took off his shirt and balled it up in his hands.

"My word," Alfred whispered. Roy's torso was covered in black and blue. Mixed in were bruises in different stages of healing, but they were overshadowed by the newer ones. Bruce took several pictures, then moved to the side. Alfred gently raised Roy's arm so Bruce could get a shot of his side, which was just as bruised as the front. While he held Roy's arm he noticed something. "Master Bruce." He gestured to the handprint on Roy's upper arm and the fingertips on his wrist. Bruce sighed and took pictures of them both. They moved to the other side and repeated the process. The bruising on the left shoulder was particularly bad, and Bruce remembered it was the one Clark had said had been recently dislocated. There were also multiple handprints on this arm and more fingertip bruises. "Turn this way, Master Roy." Roy turned so his feet were hanging off the side and Bruce could see his back.

"God fucking dammit," Bruce breathed, momentarily stunned.

"I'm sorry!" Roy apologized quickly.

"No, no it's not your fault Roy. You didn't do anything." He didn't mean to scare the teen, but the state of his back was….horrifying. He'd seen the video of Oliver whipping Roy with a belt, but now he could see just how damaging it had been. The welts on his back were deep, probably due to the immense arm upper body strength the archer possessed. Even worse there were place scars under and around the welts, telling Bruce that this had happened semi-frequently. There was also bruising and cuts making it impossible to see even an inch of untouched skin. Bruce took a couple of pictures. "Roy, I know you have an arrow wound on your leg, I need to see it." He could tell by the look on Roy's face this was making him deeply unhappy. It was a truer testament to how well Oliver had scared Roy that he still moved his pants down. As much as Bruce hated to make Roy feel like this, he knew they had to document the evidence. Roy still refused to look him in the eye as Bruce took a picture of the arrow wound on his thigh. "Ok, I think we're done." Alfred tried to get Roy comfortable while Bruce set the camera aside. He paused for a moment. There was a sneaking suspicion of something that he didn't like. "Roy, when was the last time you saw a doctor?"

"Two years ago."

"Two years? Oliver didn't take you to a doctor at all in the two years you lived with him?"

"No."

That explained a lot. Bruce gestured to Alfred and the two of them stepped away for a moment. "Explains how he got away with this. Any doctor who took one look at Roy would've reported Oliver to CPS."

"Money can buy a lot of silence Master Bruce."

Unfortunately, he knew Alfred was probably right. "Can you fix him up?"

"Of course sir, but I would suggest we have Dr. Thompkins do it. Master Roy is clearly in need of a professional."

"And a check-up. I'll give Leslie a call and explain the situation. Hopefully, she can come see him tomorrow."

"Very good sir. I shall patch him up until Dr. Thompkins is able to come."

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce turned back to Roy, only to find his head was down.

"Give me your hand please Master Roy," Alfred said. He picked up Roy's hand and gently spread some aloe cream on it and re-wrapped it with a clean bandage.

"Roy," Bruce said, leaning down to try and look Roy in the eyes. "You did really good." Roy looked away and shifted again. Bruce put his hand on Roy's shoulder, only to have the teen pull away. He stepped back, suddenly hit with the gravity of the situation. Roy was covered, nearly head to toe, in injuries. He was terrified of them and couldn't stand anyone touching him. Two years of living with Oliver and this is what the outcome was. Bruce reached out and gently set his hand on Roy's knee. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Yes, sir?"

"Stop calling me- never mind. If that makes you more comfortable, then go ahead. I hope though that you'll start calling me Bruce. I want you to know that neither I nor Alfred, would ever, ever hit you. I would not hit if I was mad at you, or because I want to punish you in any way." Judging by the look on Roy's face he didn't believe that. "I also want you to know that you are safe here. Oliver doesn't know where you are and he can't reach you here. You don't have to worry about him." Again, Roy didn't look like he believed that at all. Bruce didn't blame him. If he was in Roy's position he didn't think he'd believe himself either. "Tomorrow I'm getting you checked out by a physician because you really need it. Today I want you to take it easy, which is better said than done with Dick around. Alfred will get you some clothes." He looked at Alfred who nodded in confirmation.

"Indeed. Are there any clothes, in particular, you desire Master Roy?"

Roy shook his head quickly. "No sir."

"Just….standard stuff Alfred. Take Dick with you, I'm sure he can help." Roy's head shot up, but neither man was looking at him, so they didn't notice. He didn't want to be left alone with Mr. Wayne. "Roy I want you to write down your sizes and give them to Dick."

"Yes, sir."

"Ok. I can….give you a tour while Alfred and Dick are gone if you want-"

"No! I mean, thank you Mr. Wayne, but I was wondering if I could take a nap, please sir?"

Bruce nodded, taken aback slightly by how Roy acted like he half-expected to be refused. "Of course. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's ok, it was….a very big night."

"Thank you. Can I go?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Thank you." Roy hopped down off the table and headed up the stairs. He was pretty sure he could find his way back to his bedroom. If not he could always find Dick and ask him for directions.

Bruce watched Roy go with a heavy heart. He sighed and pressed his hands against the table. "Murder is illegal. Murder is illegal. I shouldn't kill people….no matter how much they deserve it."

"Just keep telling yourself that Master Bruce," Alfred told him. "I dare say the news is only going to get worse from here."

"Unfortunately." He felt the guilt drowning him. Two years. Almost two years he knew that Oliver was a danger to Roy and he'd done nothing. "Good luck trying to keep Dick focused."

Alfred smiled. "I'm sure Master Dick shall enjoy his job immensely."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Roy managed to find his room, as well as a pen and paper inside the desk. He was writing down what Mr. Wayne had told him to when Dick knocked on his door. "Hi, Roy!"

"Hi, Dick."

"Alfie says I get to go with him to pick out your clothes."

"I know." He handed the paper to Dick. "Here. My clothes sizes."

"Got it!" Dick folded the paper up and put it in his pocket. "I'll see you when I get back!"

"Have fun." He watched Dick go, then quickly got up and shut the door behind him; hand hovered over the lock for a second. In the end, he decided against it and went over to his bed so he could crawl under the covers. He curled up into a ball and tried to relax. 'It's ok,' he thought. 'It's ok. It's ok.'

— —

"Roy!"

Roy bolted up and looked around in confusion. "Wha-"

"We're back!" Dick came running up to Roy's bed and climbed up on it. "Look!" He held up the bag he was holding.

"Dick," Bruce said, coming in with two more bags. "I told you not to wake him."

"He's awake."

"It's ok Mr. Wayne," Roy said quickly, not wanting Dick to get in trouble.

"Look what I got you!" Dick pulled out a black shirt with the Batman symbol on it. "Cool huh?"

"Master Dick was very proud of that," Alfred said, coming in with two more bags.

"I said I'd get those Alfred," Bruce said taking them.

"Master Bruce I'm more than capable of carrying two bags."

"Roy look!" Dick insisted. Roy blinked and realized Dick was waving another shirt in front of his face. This one had the S thing that he'd seen Superman wearing the night before.

"Thanks," Roy said.

"Master Dick took his job very seriously," Alfred assured him.

"I got you a Flash one too. Alfie wouldn't let me get you all superhero shirts though."

"You just had to get the Superman one Dick?" Bruce asked, eyeing they shirt with distaste.

"Yup! Roy likes it, right Roy?"

"Uh…" Roy swallowed. "Sure…"

"See?" He turned back to Roy. "Your other shirts are red and yellow cause that's the color of your costume! Socks too. Not all of them though. Alfred said you needed other colors too. Oh! Also-" he hopped off the bed and rummaged through one of the bags. "We got you these too." He handed a shoe box to a very startled Roy. "Open it, open it!" Roy opened the box to find a pair of sneakers. They were white with red arrows on the side. "You didn't give us shoe size, so we just guessed."

"Master Dick is very good at math, so it was probably accurate," Alfred said.

"Do you like them?!" Roy didn't say anything. He just stared at the shoes. His shoes. His first pair of shoes in two years. "Roy?"

"Roy is everything ok?" Bruce asked.

"You got me shoes?" Roy asked quietly.

"Well….yeah…" Dick said, confused. "You can't go outside barefoot. That's just silly."

Roy gingerly picked up one of the sneakers. "They're really mine?"

"…..yes that's why we're giving them to you." Dick looked at Bruce.

"Dick, why don't you go downstairs and get a snack?"

"But I want to keep showing Roy his new clothes!"

"Bring a snack for Roy too, I'm sure he's hungry after his nap."

"Ok."

"I shall assist you, Master Dick," Alfred said following.

"Alfie, I'm not going to mess up the kitchen again."

The two of them left and Bruce stood awkwardly. "Roy," he said. "Did Oliver….did he never give you shoes?"

Roy hesitated, then shook his head. "No. I outgrew the shoes I had when I got there and he never bought me another pair."

"Why?"

"He said that he was my guardian and he knew what was best for me. If he thought I needed shoes he'd get me some."

Bruce didn't quite know why, but that made him angry. "Well, these shoes are yours to keep until you outgrow them. When you do I'll buy you another pair."

'Yeah, sure.'

Dick came back carrying two popsicles. "Here Roy!" He handed one to Roy and started unwrapping his excitedly.

Roy looked up at Bruce as if asking for permission. "Go ahead," Bruce nodded. "Enjoy. Alfred and I will sort out your clothes. You can put them away where you want."

"Thank you, sir." Roy unwrapped his popsicle and took a bite, The cold stung his teeth, but he didn't care. It'd been a long time since he'd had sugar. He couldn't relax as he ate though, expecting Bruce to knock the treat out of his hands and smack him. It didn't happen though and he got to eat his popsicle in peace. 'It's not even lunchtime and I've had a popsicle and gotten shoes.'

"All done. We'll leave you and Dick alone to put your clothes away. I have work to do."

"As do I," Alfred informed them. "Lunch will be at noon."

"Mac and cheese right?!" Dick asked, grinning.

"Of course."

"Yes!" Alfred and Bruce left and Dick stood up. "Come on Roy, let's get your clothes put away."

Roy nodded. "Ok."

— —

Once he was alone in his study, Bruce pulled out his cell phone. "Leslie?"

"Bruce," Leslie answered, "Dick better have all his limbs."

"This isn't about Dick. Or…you know…"

"I do."

"Do you know who Oliver Queen is?"

"I've heard of him. He's one of your rich friends, right?"

"Believe me, he's no friend of mine. Two years ago he took in a boy named Roy. Long story short, Oliver was abusing Roy."

"Was?"

"Batman and Robin….with some assistance from the Justice League," he added in a quieter voice, "removed him from Oliver's care."

"Why didn't the Star City police do that? Why would the Justice League get involved?"

"Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow. Roy is- was Speedy."

"That makes sense then."

"Roy told me that Oliver never took him to a doctor in the two years he lived with him and he has some very bad injuries. I was wondering if you could come to the Manor tomorrow to treat him and give him a check-up?"

"Of course I will. I'll be there first thing in the morning."

"Thank you, Leslie."

"Anytime."

Bruce hung up and sat back in his chair. So far he was one day into taking care of Roy and already he wanted punch Queen from the top of a very tall building. 'No shoes. Not taking him to a doctor. Making him patrol when he's hurt.' He got the feeling he would learn just how deep hatred for a single person could go. Unfortunately, he knew it was only going to get worse from here. He'd told Roy that he'd never hit him, but he could tell the teen didn't believe him. 'Of course, he doesn't. He has no reason to trust me. How can he really know I'm not like Oliver?' Bruce rubbed his eyes briefly. 'I just hope Roy will believe me eventually.'


	19. Check-Up

A/N: Time for a new chapter! Yay!

Roy really didn't want to see the physician. Dick kept insisting that, like everyone else, that she was really nice and wouldn't hurt him. It was starting to make Roy think Dick lived in a deep state of denial. He knew for a fact not everyone was nice and caring; evidenced by what had led him to this situation. Whether this doctor lady was nice or not, Roy didn't want to see her. Despite how nice it sounded to have someone professional look at his injuries, he couldn't risk it. It brought terror to his heart when he thought about how mad Oliver was going to be when he found out other people knew about what had been happening. He didn't try to voice his opposition with Bruce though. So far he hadn't done anything to warrant getting hit, but then again Oliver had waited until Roy had been there for two weeks before slapping him for the first time. Roy wanted to put off the inevitable until some of his older wounds were healed, so he stayed quiet. It didn't make him walk any faster though as Dick all but dragged him down the stairs. They stopped in the foyer and Roy hid behind Dick.

"Don't worry Roy," Dick assured him after watching the teen jump at a knock on the door. "You'll like Dr. Leslie. She's really nice."

Alfred opened the door and stepped aside welcomingly. "Welcome, Dr. Thompkins."

Leslie entered the manor and smiled at him. "Thank you, Alfred."

"Thank you for coming, Leslie," Bruce said shaking her hand.

"Of course Bruce."

"Hi, Dr. Leslie!" Dick beamed.

"Hi, Dick." Leslie's eyes traveled to the teenager who appeared to be trying to hide behind the boy. "You must be Roy." Roy stepped back, but Dick stepped aside, letting Leslie get a better look at him. "I'm Dr. Leslie Thompkins." She could tell just by giving him an external examination that he was in need of medical attention. "Dick, can you take Roy to the bat cave please?"

"Yup!" Dick snagged Roy's hand and led him to Bruce's study.

Leslie turned to Bruce. "I want you to wait up here."

"But-" Bruce protested, but one look for Leslie shut him up.

"Your presence is making him uncomfortable. I need him to relax while I'm treating him."

"Fine."

"Is there anything definitive you can tell me about his condition?"

"His left arm was dislocated and set within the last two weeks. He also has broken ribs."

"Ok. I'll see what I can do for him."

"If he tells about what happened, you will tell me, right?"

"No. Doctor-patient confidentiality." She walked away, leaving Bruce frustrated behind her. When she got down to the Bat cave and found Dick had already made Roy sit on the examination table. "Dick, why don't you go upstairs please?"

"But Roy likes it when I stay," Dick protested.

"He will be fine. Upstairs please."

"Ok." Dick gave Roy one last smile before heading up the stairs.

Roy shifted under the gaze of the doctor. She didn't say anything as she set down her bag and took out some papers. "Roy." Roy looked up at her. "It's ok dear. Can you tell me your full name?"

"Roy Harper Jr."

"How old are you?"

"14."

"Ok." She set her papers aside and stepped up to him. "Look into the light." Roy sat tensely and looked into the light. She took it away and made him follow her pen. It felt unreal. He hadn't been to a doctor since before he'd moved in with Oliver. She looked in his mouth next, but to Roy's surprise didn't ask about his missing tooth. She checked his reflexes and listened to his heartbeat and breathing. Roy thought he saw her frown briefly as she listened to his breathing. When she was done she hung her stethoscope around her neck and made some notes on her paper. "Can I see your hand?" Roy hesitated, hiding his hand behind him slightly. "I'm just looking. I won't ask how you got it." Roy slowly moved his hand out and let her unwrap it. He looked away as she examined it. A second-degree burn covering the entire surface of his palm. She shook her head sadly. "Does it hurt? Don't lie to me, I'm very good at telling when people are lying."

Roy didn't doubt that. "Sometimes."

"Did you ever take medicine for it?" He shook his head. "Did you treat it with something?"

"I-I put antibacterial cream on two times a day and Alfred put aloe on it yesterday."

Leslie nodded. "Good." She looked through a cabinet of medical bottles until she found the one she needed. "I'm going to put this cream on your hand. It should keep it disinfected and help it heal faster. Unfortunately, this will most likely scar given the size and degree." She re-wrapped his hand and set it down gently in his lap. "Bruce told me your shoulder was recently dislocated."

"N-not recently. Over a week ago. It's fine now."

"How long was it dislocated for?"

"Three days…"

Leslie nodded. "After it was set did you use it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How often and for what?"

"Archery mostly. Almost every day."

Leslie stepped to his side and gently put her hand on his shoulder. She moved Roy's arm in random directions, feeling the joint as it moved. She kept an eye on his face as she did, going the look of pain that would flash across his face in certain positions. "It was set correctly, which is good. However, given the length of time it was dislocated for and how much you used it, you'll need a sling for a few weeks."

Roy swallowed as she opened a cabinet, looking for something. "Are-are you sure? I-I can use it fine."

"I'm very sure. It causes you pain to use it, I can tell." She turned around with a sling in her hands. "If you don't give the joint proper time to rest, you will risk damaging the tendons."

The word damage made Roy's heart stop. Damage meant permanent and no archery. Roy didn't like the idea of having limited mobility, a sling meant less chance to block a kick or punch, but he didn't want to lose the ability to shoot a bow, so he nodded. "Ok."

"We'll put it on after."

"Ok."

"Can you take your shirt off?"

"Why?"

"You have injuries I need to look at."

Roy hesitated, then remembered that she had yet to ask him how they were caused. Hoping it'd stay that way, he slowly took his shirt off so she could look. "You're just looking, right?"

"And treating what needs to be treated so you can be healthy."

"Ok." Roy sat still but was still kind of tense while she examined him.

"Bruce told me you have broken ribs. For now, you should just take pain medicine and rest. No exercise until further notice." She moved to his back and shook her head sadly. She looked at the welts and gashes on his back. "The good news is these don't need stitches. Some ointment and bandages and it'll be fine. There will probably be more scars back here, unfortunately." She applied the ointment and carefully applied gauze over the worse of them to keep them clean. "You can put your shirt back on."

Roy did so happily. "Are we done?"

Leslie smiled at him. "Not yet. You're doing a really good job though. Barely a fidget out of you." She made a few quick notes on her papers. "I need to look at your leg." Roy moved his pants down so she could look at the arrow wound. "What happened here?" she asked, gently examining a stitched wound.

"Gunshot."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really."

"Does the other one hurt?"

"….No."

"I'm sure. Looks clean. I'm going to give you some pain medicine that should cover all your injuries."

"Thank you." Roy fixed his pants and sat still again.

"Anytime." Leslie made more notes on her papers again.

"What-what're you writing?"

"Just making notes about the injuries and what the treatment is." She picked up the sling up again. "Time to put this on."

"Ok." Roy reluctantly allowed her to slip the sling over his head and fit his arm inside. She secured it to his body so that he couldn't move it.

"Don't use this arm for three weeks."

"Yes, Dr…."

"Leslie. You can call me Dr. Leslie."

"Dr. Leslie."

"We're almost done, don't worry. I just have a couple more thing to go over."

"O-ok."

"Come over here." Roy hopped carefully off the table and walked over to where she was standing by a scale. Not needing instructions for this part, he stepped on so she could weigh him. After that she had him stand why his back against the wall so she could measure his height. "You can sit down again."

Roy sat back down, somehow feeling that this whole experience wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. "Are we done?"

"Almost. I just have a couple of questions for you."

That wasn't something Roy liked the sound of. "Ok."

"How often did you eat?"

"Every day."

Leslie smiled gently. "Roy." Roy raised his head. "You're not going to be in trouble. I'm not here to get anyone in trouble. I just need to know so I can do my job and keep you healthy." Roy looked away again. "I won't tell Bruce either."

"Y-you won't?"

"No, I won't."

Roy fidgeted briefly. "I usually ate every day. Three times day."

"Just three times a day?"

"Yes. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"How often did you go without meals?"

"Two…or three….times a week."

"Ok. What did you eat?"

"Oatmeal for breakfast. Sandwich, peanut butter usually, for lunch. Whatever Oliver made for dinner."

"How much would you eat when you had dinner?"

"Um….less than half a bowl full."

Leslie nodded. "Thank you, Roy. You did very well today." She gathered her papers and a helped him down from the table. "I'll be back in three weeks to check on your progress. While I'm gone I want you to do two things for me."

"What are they?"

"I want you to tell Bruce, Alfred, or Dick if your inures are causing you pain." Roy nodded slowly. "I also need you to try and eat more. Can you do those two things for me?'

Roy nodded. quickly. "Yes, Dr. Leslie."

"Good." Leslie handed him a couple of pills and Roy swallowed them quickly. She didn't comment on it but gave him a sympathetic look. When they exited the grandfather look they found Bruce was at his desk in the study. "Go find Dick. I'll see you in three weeks."

"Ok Dr. Leslie. Thank you."

"Anytime dear. Don't forget what I said."

"Yes, Dr. Leslie." Roy left the room quickly, trying to avoid making eye contact with Bruce. He wanted to put off Bruce finding out he couldn't properly defend himself.

Once Roy left Bruce turned to Leslie. "Well?" he asked.

"You have your work cut out for you. There's nothing I can do for the bruises. I've prescribed an ointment to help that burn and pain medication, both of which you have downstairs. I put his left arm in a sling, and he's not to use it for three weeks. Other than that, only time can heal his wounds. The most pressing issue of his health is his weight."

"His weight?"

"Yes. He's not extremely malnourished, but he is underweight for his height and age."

"How underweight?"

"30 pounds. From what he told me, I think Oliver Queen was perpetually starving him. Not starving him to the point of dying, but enough that he wasn't eating enough or as often as he should've been. You and Alfred need to get him to eat more."

"Understood."

"Physically he's not in amazing health, but he could be worse off. Mentally however….I'm no psychologist Bruce, but judging by the marks on his body he's been through a traumatic ordeal. You need to be careful with him."

"I will."

"I mean it. Don't force to do things he isn't ready for."

"I won't."

"Good. I'll be back in three weeks to check his progress."

"Thank you for coming today, Leslie."

"It's my pleasure, Bruce. He's going to need all the pep he can get."

"I shall accompany you out," Alfred informed her. The left the room, leaving Bruce to think about the task that lay ahead.

— —

Roy went back to his room and sat on his bed. It didn't take Dick long to find him. "Hey, Roy!" He hopped onto the bed and sat across from his friend. "How was your visit from Dr. Leslie?"

"Fine, I guess."

"She's nice, right?"

"I-I guess."

Dick smiled. "Told you. So, what'd you want to do?"

"I don't know. I can't really do a lot right now." He gestured to his sling.

"True. We could go down to the kitchen and sneak a snack."

"Uh…" Roy shifted and pulled away from Dick, pushing himself against his headboard. "I don't think so"

"Come on, you're so thin! My mom would say you're nothing but skin and bones. One snack won't hurt." He grabbed Roy's non-injured arm and pulled his off the bed.

"Dick, I really don't think we should do this-"

"It's fine. Come on!" Dick ran down to the kitchen dragging an anxious Roy behind him. No matter what Roy said, it didn't seem to make any difference to Dick. He was still being taken downstairs, to what he assumed would be a trip that would end badly for both of them. Dick poked his head into the kitchen. "Good, it's empty." He pulled Roy in, ignoring the teen's protests.

"Dick we should go back upstairs."

"It's fine Roy."

"We-we should go play a game or-"

"We can play a game after." Dick let go of Roy's hand and climbed up on the counter. He sat on it and pulled the cookie jar closer to himself. He took one out and stuffed it in his mouth. "Here." He handed one to Roy, who backed away like it was poisonous.

"I don't want one."

"Come on." Dick waved the cookie up and down. "You know you do."

"I really don't."

"No one's going to notice."

Roy walked closer slowly. "I'm really not hungry-"

"Just eat one. Come on."

Roy saw the pleading, puppy-dog look on Dick's face and sighed. "Ok. One." He took the cookie from Dick and put it in his mouth. Just as he was about to take a bite someone yelled from behind.

"Dick! Roy! What're you two doing?"

Roy spun around in the same moment the cookie jar fell off the counter. It shattered on the ground, seeming to echo in Roy's ears. Panic gripped his insides. "Oh no-" he squeaked.

"Whoops," Dick muttered as he hopped down.

Bruce sighed in agitation. "What are you two doing in here?! Dick you know you're not supposed to be sneaking cookies." He saw the petrified look on Roy's face and guilt flooded him. He reached out for the scared teen. "Roy-"

Roy saw the hand and dropped to the ground. "Sorry!" he gasped, curling into a ball. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Roy-"

"Sorry! It was an accident! I swear it was an accident!" Bruce and Dick both stared at him in shock.

"Roy-" Bruce stopped when he realized Roy wasn't listening.

"I won't do it again! I swear!"

"Roy!" Bruce yelling caused Roy's to very suddenly stop stammering his apologies. It didn't stop his shaking or the look of absolute petrification in his eyes.

Alfred came in and took in the scene in front of him. "Sir, what's wrong?"

"I upset him," Bruce said. "I yelled at the boys and caused him to have a panic attack."

"You need to comfort him, sir."

"I think I'm the last person he wants to be near right now."

Alfred sighed and look down at Dick. "Master Dick, it is you Master Roy trusts more than anyone."

Dick frowned. "But I don't know what to do."

"Just do what you usually do," Bruce suggested.

"Ok. I'll try." Dick walked towards slowly Roy, trying not to scare him more. "Roy. Roy, it's me, Dick." He carefully avoided the pieces of the shattered cookie jar and crouched down so he and Roy were at eye level. "Come on Roy. It's Dick, you know me."

"It's not I- Dick I knocked the-the thing-"

"No, you didn't. You didn't knock it off. That was me."

Bruce sighed and leaned closer to Alfred. "Can you take Roy upstairs please so I can talk to Dick?"

"Of course sir," Alfred replied. He approached the two boys just as Dick was helping Roy stand.

"Come with me Master Roy and we shall go to your room." Roy blinked, then shrunk back.

"It's ok Roy," Dick assured him, passing off the pale and trembling hand to Alfred. "He won't hurt you."

"This way." Alfred led Roy out. He glanced back, dreading leaving Dick alone with Bruce.

After they left Bruce turned to his younger ward. "You know you're not supposed to take cookies without asking."

"I know. I just wanted to have some fun with Roy."

"Regardless, you shouldn't have been breaking the rules."

"Yes, Bruce."

"I want you to clean this up and apologize to Alfred for breaking the jar and ruining the cookies."

"Yes, Bruce."

"Good."

"Bruce, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why did Roy react like that? He was really freaked out."

Bruce sighed. "Roy reacted like that because he thought I was going to hit him."

"Why?! You'd never do something like that!"

"I know that, but in the environment Roy's coming from, that's not as true."

Dick looked down sadly. "I wish we could go back and help him."

"We can't. The best we can do is try to help him now."

"I know. How can we make Roy believe us?"

"I don't know Dick, but we'll figure it out."

— —

Once Roy got to his room and Alfred released him, he shut himself inside. Seeking his bow, he got on the ground and joined it under his bed. He held the burned wood to his body. "I messed up," he muttered. "I messed up and now he's going to hit me." Bruce had every reason to hit him. He'd tried to eat between meals and broken something. If it were Oliver he'd have been on the floor in pain right now. He curled up and squeezed his eyes shut. "Please don't hurt me," he whispered to the empty room. "Please don't. I'll behave. I promise." After an inconceivable amount of time, someone knocked on his door.

"Roy," Dick said. "Can I come in?'

"Y-yes."

The door opened and he saw Dick's feet enter the room. "Where are you?"

"Here."

Dick knelt down and peered under the bed. "What're you doing under here?"

Roy's eyes desperately search Dick's face. Confusion hit him when he realized Dick didn't look like he was in pain, nor did he have bruises on his face. "Did-did you get in trouble?"

"Yeah." Dick laid down on his stomach so his head was under the bed. "I had to clean the mess up and Alfred said I need to buy him a new cookie jar."

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Does what hurt?"

"Getting in trouble."

Dick stared at him in confusion, then realization dawned on him. "No, no Roy that's not what happened. Bruce didn't hit me."

Roy stared at him, conflicted. "You're ok?"

"I'm ok."

Another pair of shoes appeared in the doorway. "Dick," Bruce said, can you leave Roy and I alone for a minute?"

Much to Roy's despair, Dick crawled out and stood up. "Sure," he said.

'Maybe this is for the better,' Roy thought as Dick's feet left. 'I don't want him to see this.'

Bruce's feet moved closer to the bed. "Roy, come out from under there."

Roy gently put his bow down and wiggled his way out. He was tense, expecting to get kicked while he was vulnerable. It didn't happen though and he managed to get himself out and standing. "Yes, sir?"

"I realize that I didn't tell you the rules, and I shouldn't have expected the 10-year-old tell you about them. We don't allow Dick to have snacks without asking, especially Alfred's cookies. I also usually don't allow him to have snacks before lunch. Understand?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Ok. If you want something to eat just ask Alfred."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm not going to punish you since it was Dick's idea and he should know better. I do expect you to remember this for next time."

"Yes, sir."

"Ok then." Bruce stood awkwardly for a minute before leaving.

Roy sat down on his bed. He'd been there too, so part of him felt bad that Dick had taken all the punishment. 'I expect you to remember this for next time.' Roy knew he'd gotten off lucky this time. 'Don't get comfortable,' he thought bitterly, falling back against his pillows. 'Soon he'll figure out that I'm stupid and I aggravate really easily. He won't be able to not do it next time.' Someone knocked on his door again. His heart stopped, thinking that it was Bruce coming back.

"Roy," Dick said from the other side of the door. "It's me! Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Roy sat up as the door opened.

"Wanna play a game?"

"Sure."

"Great! Come on, we can play cards in the library."

"Can-can we play in here?"

Dick saw the unsure look on Roy's face and nodded. "Yeah, we can play in here. I'll go get the cards, ok?"

"Ok." Roy watched Dick go. 'At least here I have him. At least here we can protect each other.'


	20. Green Arrow's Reaction

A/N: Time for an update! I'd just like to once again say that I know the creators of Young Justice have said that there's no speed force in this universe, therefore speedsters don't have lightning. However, as a very wise man once said, "I recognize the council has made a decision but granted it's a stupid-ass decision I've elected to ignore it." That being said, enjoy!

Central City was different from Star. It was cleaner, both on the streets and in the air, and its police force was one of the least corrupt in the country. All in all, it made Green Arrow sick. From his perch, he could distantly see the two red streaks that zoomed between the buildings. Just behind them was a yellow streak keeping pace. His lip curled in disgust. Central City's resident speedsters: also known as Flash and Kid Flash; apparently joined by a third today. Green Arrow watched them running in seemingly random patterns. After three days and much searching in his own city, he'd determined his missing ward was nowhere in Star….

\- Flashback -

The alarms going off had Oliver out of his seat in a minute. He checked his phone to see the alert about a perimeter breach. "Roy!" he yelled. There was a chance it was just a squirrel that had managed to scale the wall, but he wasn't betting on it. "Roy!" He ran up the stairs to Roy's room. The third floor tucked away in the corner of the hall. Oliver wasn't a fool. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that on the same night he'd finally pushed Roy to grow up there was a permitter breech. "Roy!" He opened the bedroom door and turned the light on. "Roy get out here right now!" A quick survey of the room told him that it appeared to be empty. He looked in the bathroom, half hoping Roy was just hiding to aggravate him. "Roy! Get out here or I'll whip every last inch of skin off your back!" That threat usually brought him running, which is why Oliver growled when the boy was still nowhere to be seen. "Roy!"

Oliver looked under the bed, in the closet, and behind every curtain. "Roy!" He left the bedroom and threw open every unlocked door in the hall. "Roy get your ass out here!" Most of the doors were locked, he kept them lock to limit the number of hiding places Roy had, which worked in his favor right now. Every closet was empty, although he knew Roy was slightly claustrophobic and wouldn't hide there anyways. 'When I find you, Roy you're going to feel it for a week!" Another empty room. "Two weeks!" And another. "Three!" He moved down to the next floor, checking the rooms down there. He checked his own bedroom briefly, even though it was highly unlikely Roy would go there. Oliver was pretty certain the teen still had the scars from that lesson way back when he was 12. "Roy!" He couldn't find Roy in the library or the den. By the time Oliver got to the kitchen he was beyond aggravated, he was furious. He ground his teeth as he made his way down to the arsenal. The arsenal or the shooting range was the last two places Roy could possibly be. "Roy!"

He ran into the arsenal. Roy's bows he used for patrol were still there, as was his other quiver. "Roy!" He searched the whole space, but still found no Roy. He made his way to the back where the entrance of the range was. "Roy get out here!" He turned the light on and reached the empty space. Still nothing. He growled and stomped back into the arsenal. "Ah!" he shoved a rack of arrows to the ground. Roy was gone. "How the hell could he have gotten out of here?!" He checked the security apps on his phone. All the doors and windows were still…his eyes narrowed. He ran back upstairs to Roy's bedroom. Once there he went straight to the window that led to Roy's balcony. It was open. He stepped out of the room and onto the stone balcony outside. He closed the window briefly, examining the lock. Someone had opened it from the outside. Oliver stood up with his eyes narrowed. He slipped back into Roy's room, kicking away the arrows on the floor. That was when he saw the mask on Roy's pillow. He picked it up and crushed it. There was only one group who would steal Roy and taunt him like this. "Justice League…." he hissed….

\- End Flashback -

The red streak blew past Oliver's building. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked it to his bow. Hitting a speedster was hard, but from personal experience, he knew it wasn't impossible.

— —

Despite what the Justice League said, racing was training. To a speedster at least. It was Wally's absolute favorite way to train. Today though had been a great day because Jay was joining him and Barry. He loved running with both the older men, the three generations as Joan called them, more than anything else about being Kid Flash. (Except maybe fighting the Rogues. Or meeting the Justice League. Or playing cop with Barry.) Barry skidded to a stop on their latest race, Wally right behind him, and Jay right behind him.

"I win again!" Flash beamed.

"Aww man!" Kid Flash groaned. "I thought for sure I had you this time."

"You beat the old man kid," Jay said, ruffling Kid's red hair. "You still did really good."

"But I wanna beat Flash!"

Flash chucked. "I can't just let you win."

"Why not?"/p

"You gotta earn winning Flash races."

Kid Flash stuck his tongue out at his mentor. "I'm gonna run faster than you someday!"

"I'm sure you will Kid," Flash laughed. Jay noted the hint of pride in the younger man's voice. He knew Flash was proud of his nephew for how far he'd come in his speedster training.

"Can we go again?!"

Flash looked at Jay, silently asking if the older speedster was up for another race. Jay looked at Wally's pleading face and sighed. "Why not?" he conceded.

"Yes! Wherewegoing?! Wherewegoing?!"

"Slow down Kid," Flash said. "We'll run the same route again."

"Can we do a different one?"

"No. Same route."

"Fine." The three of them lined up, Wally in between the two men. He looked up at them, smirking. "Don't hold back this time."

"Who said we were holding back?" Jay teased.

"I know you are. I want a real race."

Flash laughed. "Ok. No holding back this time." He knew this would leave Kid in the dust, by speedster standards, but it had been a quiet day and the kid knew it was all done in good faith. No feelings were ever hurt in a race. Flash also wanted to give Kid a chance to run by himself a little bit. "Ready. Set-" Lightning crackled around the three. "Go." They shot forward, Flash and Jay quickly leaving Kid Flash behind. Kid Flash ran as fast as he safely could in downtown Central. He rounded corners, following the route he knew by heart. Heart pounding in excitement, he zoomed with ease between cars in the street, vaguely watching as people around him waved at the streaks. He grinned in excitement, getting the energy to run faster. Flash and Jay were long gone, but he didn't care. Running was just too much fun. He was so energized by what was going on that he didn't see what hit him. One second he was racing down the street after almost hitting a newsstand, then a sharp pain hit his knee, and with the next step, he took he hit the pavement at half the speed of sound. He wasn't sure what was happening as the road whizzed by until friction brought him to a complete stop.

Kid Flash was numb. His brain wasn't working so fast, or at all really. Blood was flowing down his face onto his shoulder and chest. He sat up, wincing as the action pulled at the sore limbs. His goggles were cracked and he fought to get them off. He blinked through the haze, but when he saw what had caused the fall he wished he hadn't. As soon as he laid eyes on the green projectile that had pierced his kneecap, he screamed. Suddenly, all the pain coursing through his body was all he could think about. The blinding white hot pain in his knee; the searing pain on his face; and the paralyzing in his hands and arms, which had taken the brunt of the fall. His breathing started getting faster. Logically, he knew speedsters could heal fast, but it didn't feel like it at the moment. "F-Flash!" he screamed, hoping his mentor was nearby. No doubt he and Jay were already at the finish line…on the other side of the city. He looked around desperately for his uncle, only to see something terrifying. Standing on the road, a mere ten feet away, was Green Arrow. Kid Flash tried to inch back, then screeched in pain again. 'OhgodI'mgoingtodie! I'mgoingtodieFlashisgoingtofindmybodyhereI'mgoingtodie!' He whimpered when the archer aimed another arrow at him. He dragged his body back another inch, then screamed again. Green Arrow fired and Kid Flash tensed.

The arrow never reached him. Kid Flash blinked and suddenly Flash was standing in front of him. His mentor was practically vibrating with lightning jumping off his body in arcs. almost without thinking, or taking his eyes off Green Arrow, Flash vibrated the arrow so fast it shattered. Jay appeared next to Kid Flash a second later. "Kid are you ok?!" he asked. Kid Flash wanted to reply, but could only scream in pain again.

The scream tore through to Flash's heart. He glared at the archer, still holding the arrow where he'd caught it in front of his chest. "What're you doing here?!" he demanded with a glare that could've reviled Batman's.

"I wanted to talk," Green Arrow replied evenly.

"Talk? Talk?! You shot Kid Flash because you wanted to talk?!"

"I need to get your attention."

"What do you want?!"

"Speedy! I know you took him! The Justice League has something to do with him going missing!"

"No one from the Justice League has stepped foot in Star!"

"I know you have him! Give him back!"

"Prove it!"

"Flash!" Jay snapped from behind. Flash looked back and his heart dropped. Kid Flash's eyes were half-way rolled back in his head. "He needs a doctor!"

Flash glanced back at Green Arrow, only to discover he was gone. He sighed and spun around at super speed to join Jay, kneeling beside his nephew. "Oh god.."

"No time for that!" Jay snapped. He slipped his arms under Kid Flash and picked him up. Flash stood up as well and Jay deposited the injured speedster in his arms. "Medbay on the Watchtower!" Clearly Flash was more than a little distraught at the sight of his bloodied nephew because he didn't move. Jay sighed and slapped him.

"Hey-"

"Flash, go! Zeta to the Watchtower! Run!"

"Right." Flash took off, running at the speed sound. He held on to Kid Flash tightly as he ran. "It's ok Kid," he assured his half-conscious nephew. "It's ok, it's ok. You're going to be ok." He ran over a bump, jostling the precious bundle in his arms.

"Gah!" Kid Flash screamed, ripping Flash's heart in half.

"It's ok, it's ok, it's ok." He stopped at the zeta for three seconds to let it check his identity and quickly ran through. "Dr. Mid-nite!" he yelled once he was on the Watchtower. He ran up to the med bay. "Dr. Mid-nite!"

Dr. Mid-nite came out and immediately cursed. "What happened?!"

"He…I…." Flash realized he'd never seen what happened. "He was shot…I-I think."

"Yes." He began examining the arrow int he young speedster's knee. "How fast was he going when he fell?"

"Uh…" Flash tried to do some quick estimations in his head, but his brain was too busy panicking. "I-I don't know! Fast!."

"Arrow to the knee. Severe lacerations on the face." He probed Kid Flash's limbs. "Broken wrists."

"Both?!"

"Yes, both. I need to x-ray him before I take him into surgery." Flash made a noise of concern. "I need to remove that arrow and fix all the broken bones, as well as remove any possible debris from his lacerations before his healing factor kicks in."

Jay zoomed in, stopping aside Flash. "What's the prognosis?"

"He'll live," Dr. MId-nite aid simply, grabbing two syringes. "You two need to hold him down." Flash nodded and stood at Kid Flash's head, holding his shoulders down. Jay held down the kid's ankles. "Hold tight now." Dr. Mid-nite removed Kid Flash's glove and slowly began folding up the sleeve of his suit.

p"Ah!" Kid Flash yelled in pain, trying to twist away. Flash felt his heart breaking as he held his nephew down.

"Kid look at me!" he said desperately. He tried to get the terrified, pain filled eyes to focus on him. "It's ok, Kid. It's ok."

"Flash you need to calm him down!"

Flash let go for a second to remove his cowl. "Wally, it's me, Barry. It's Uncle Barry, you're ok."

"U-Uncle Barry?" Wally asked, ceasing movement for a moment.

"I'm right here Kid. You're ok."

"U-Uncle B it hurts! It's h-hurts so much!"

Barry cringed. It was like being stabbed in the heart. "I know it does Walls, you're doing so good right now."

"Uncle B make it stop!"

Barry watched as the second syringe was finally taken away. "It'll stop. I promise." The syringes would help. After one too many disastrous missions where Barry had been severely injured, he and Batman had developed two formulas to help with speedster treatment. One was a super sedative that was harder for a speedster's metabolism to burn through (so potent single drop would stop a non-speedster's heart in minutes), and the second was a special compound they'd developed that slowed down the healing speedsters had. Barry knew Wally hadn't eaten in a few hours, which was sure to slow it down, but it had to be slowed down enough to allow Dr. Mid-nite time to work.

"Flash let go." Barry blinked. He looked down at Wally and realized his nephew was no mercifully unconscious. Jay gently grabbed Barry's shoulders and pulled him back. "Both of you go wait outside and let me work."

"Come on Barry."

"No, Jay, I can't leave him! He needs me!"

"There's nothing you can do now," Jay assured him. "You'll just get in the way."

"Time is of the essence Flash!"

Barry nodded numbly and gave Wally's hair on last pat. He allowed Jay to pull him aside and back out the doors. The older speedster didn't stop until he'd found a room with chairs. He sat Barry down in one. "Barry?" he asked, crouching down in front of him. "Are you ok?"

"Ok?" Barry asked, putting his head in his hands. "Ok?! Wally almost died today and you want to know if I'm ok?!"

"Barry-"

"How can I be ok?! My nephew almost died today! Because of me!"

"Barry the was not your fault!" Jay said, grabbing Barry's wrists to get his attention. "It was that damn archer's fault! I saw that arrow too!"

"This wouldn't have happened if I had been with him! I could've stopped that arrow before it hit him! I should've taken a different route like he asked! I shouldn't have gone so far ahead! I left him alone and vulnerable!"

"Barry listen!" Jay shook the blonde to get his attention again. "Listen. This is not your fault. You couldn't have predicted this would happen. There are things we both could've done differently son, but right now wishing things were different or wondering if we could've stopped it, won't help Wally. You heard the doctor, he's going to survive."

"He's in so much pain though…"

"I know." Jay squeezed Barry's shoulder. He sat down in a chair next to Barry. "All we can do is wait."

"Speedsters aren't known for this patience," Barry muttered glumly as he put his head in his hands again.

"No, they really aren't."

— —

Time moves differently for speedsters than it did for normal people. For Barry, the wait to hear if Wally was ok went by excruciatingly slow. At some point Jay left, claiming it was almost dinner time and someone needed to go update Joan and Iris. After promising that he'd be back soon, the older speedster left, leaving Barry alone with his thoughts. He hadn't attempted to put his cowl back on. He didn't care at the moment. The only thing Barry was for Wally to be ok. He wanted to take away all of his pain. He wanted to switch places so that it was him who was shot at instead of his 12-year-old nephew. He was so out of it he didn't even notice when someone came in.

"Barry?!" Hal asked. Barry looked at him and the green lantern gasped. "You're covered in blood!"

pBarry looked down at himself. It was a little hard to make out against his red suit, but there were splatters of blood on his chest. It was easier to see against the white and yellow flash insignia on his chest. "It's not mine," he whispered.

"Whose is it?"

"Wally's…"

"What?! What happened?! Is he ok?!"

"He…." Barry sighed and rubbed his eyed, then froze when realized his gloves also had Wally's blood on them.

Hal sat down across from him. "Tell me what happened."

"He-" The door opened again and Jay came in.

"Mr. Garrick," Hal said in greeting.

"Hello Green Lantern," Jay said. He took his seat next to Barry and held out a speedster protein bar. "Here."

Barry shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He didn't see the horrified look on Hal's face.

"I don't care. You haven't eaten in almost 5 hours. Eat."

"I can't."

"Barry-"

"How can I eat at a time like this?!"

"You can eat because you're doing Wally no good by starving yourself! It's only going to add to our problems and Iris' worries if you pass out from low blood sugar! Now eat!"

Green Lantern blinked. He'd never seen the first flash so stern with their Flash. It worked though since Barry took the protein bar and slowly opened it. He took a bite. Their special bars weren't known for their amazing flavor, but even now he couldn't taste anything. He ate the bar mechanically. When he was done Jay shoved another one into his hands and Barry ate that one as well, rather than try to argue with Jay again. After that he dropped his head down again, trying to figure out how he could ever make up for his lapse in judgment. After what felt like, and was, hours later, Dr. Mid-nite walked in. Barry knocked Hal over as he stood up and stopped right in front of the doctor. "Is he ok?! Please tell me he's ok!"

"Relax Flash," Dr. Mid-nite said. "The surgeries were a complete success."

"So he'll be ok?"

"Yes. Given enough time and rest, Kid Flash will make a complete recovery."

"Thank god. Can I see him?"

"Yes." Barry followed Dr. Mid-nite back to the med bay, to a private room. As soon as they walked in and Barry saw Wally in the bed he zoomed over and ran a hand through his nephew's hair. Jay appeared next to him as he looked at his nephew. There was a large, black brace encasing most of Wally's leg, as well as plastic races on his wrists to keep them immobilized. One side of his face was covered in bandages, as was his head.

"What happened?" Barry asked, voice shaking.

"The arrow that hit Kid Flash shattered his kneecap. It was extensive, but I managed to repair it." He gestured to the heavy brace keeping Kid Flash's leg immobilized. "He shouldn't run on it for at least two weeks."

Barry nodded. "No problem there."

"I cleaned and bandaged the lacerations on his face. He tore off three layers of skin. His speedster healing should take care of it though. The x-rays showed both wrists were shattered, along with fractures in both arms, one of his ankles, and his skull." Jay steadied Barry, "I aligned all the bones, so as long as he rests they should heal fine. He'll probably have a mild concussion, which should go away in a couple days. I gave him another dose of the sedative that should keep him out until his healing factor kicks again."

"He's going to be alright though, right? He-he'll be ok?"

"As long as he's given plenty of time to rest, yes Kid Flash will make a full recovery. He'll be back and fighting crime in Central in four weeks tops."

Barry nodded, overwhelmed with gratitude. Jay put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," the older man said.

"I'll leave you three alone."

Barry turned back to Wally, wanting to hold his hand, but the brace stopped him. He let out a low whine and settled for running his hand through Wally's red hair. "Jay, how could I let this happen?"

"Barry-"

"Don't Barry me. I'm his uncle. His mentor. I'm supposed to be there to take care of him."

Jay sighed and gave Barry's shoulder a squeeze. "Wally knows you love him, Barry. He knows you wouldn't have purposefully let him get hurt."

"I failed him today."

"You didn't fail anyone-"

"Don't. Don't Jay. Please just…. Don't try to make me feel better."

Jay shook his head but stayed silent as Barry kept patting Wally's hair and watched him sleep.

— —

After a while, Green Lantern knocked on the door of Wally's room. "Flash," he said, poking his head in. "We're starting the meeting."

"I can't leave Wally," Flash protested.

"You can't shrug off your duties to your friends," Jay told him. "Go to your meeting. I'll stay here with the kid."

"But-"

"No buts. He'll still be here when you get back."

Barry sighed. "Ok. If anything changes come get me."

"I will."

Barry stood up and pulled his cowl on. He followed Green Lantern to the meeting room. He'd forgotten about the blood on his suit but was reminded of it when he walked in and several members of the League gasped. "Hey," he mumbled as he sat down.

"What happened?!" Superman demanded.

"Are you ok?!" Wonder Woman asked.

"I'm fine, it's Wally's blood, not mine." There was a tense silence.

"Kid Flash?! Is he ok?!" Aquaman asked.

"He's ok. He's resting in the Med Bay. It'll be a little rough for a few weeks, but he'll make a full recovery."

"What happened?" Batman asked.

"Green Arrow shot Kid in the knee." Another tense silence.

"He did what?!" Superman demanded.

"Explain," Batman growled. "From the beginning."

"Kid, Jay Garrick, and I were racing around Central today. Kid…Kid convinced Jay and I to go all out for the last race. We-we left him behind with our speed. When he didn't show up at the finish line I went looking for him on the route…." He looked down. "I heard Kid scream." A scream that'd both stopped his heart and invigorated him to run faster. "I got there and had to stop an arrow from hitting him." He clenched his fists. "Green Arrow and I talked briefly then I brought Kid here to get treated."

"What did you talk about?"

"He accused the League of kidnapping Speedy. I told him no members of the League have stepped foot in Star."

"This has gone far enough," Martian Manhunter said.

"I think we've passed far enough," Green Lantern replied. "Sped right over it at super speed."

"We have to put a stop to this!" Wonder Woman snapped at them as a group.

"What can we do though?" Martin Manhunter asked.

"Everyone quiet!" Superman called, quieting them down. "We're going to deal with this. Batman will go to Star and…convince Green Arrow to leave both Roy and the kids alone."

"Sending Batman will break our agreement though," Green Lantern pointed out.

"Actually Green Arrow broke the agreement first when he went into Central City," Aquaman argued. "He's fair game now."

"Not in his mind," Flash said glumly. "He thinks the League is responsible for Speedy going missing."

"The League isn't though. Not technically."

"Oh really?" Green Lantern asked. "Go ahead and tell Green Arrow that he can redirect his rage from the full-grown adults to the 10-year-old child."

"Ok, ok," Superman interrupted, putting his arm across Batman's chest. "Batman will go to Star and get Green Arrow to back off."

"How?"

"Superman glanced sideways at the vigilante. "By whatever means he sees necessary." He gave Batman a look that the bat took to mean 'do your best Dark Knight thing. Put the fear of you in him.' A curt nod was exchanged between them. "Until then we need to keep a better eye on the kids."

"We should just keep them away from Green Arrow," Aquaman said.

"You live in the ocean," Flash pointed out. "You can just tell Aqualad to stay in Atlantis and he'll be safe. Batman and I don't have that luxury."

"I'd like to point out that Gotham might as well be at the bottom of the ocean with how untouchable it is," Green Lantern said.

"I don't think Green Arrow cares."

"Just keep the kids off the streets," Aquaman said. "This whole thing will die down soon. Green Arrow will lose interest."

Flash sighed. "Kid is off his feet for a couple of weeks anyway. I just worry about Green Arrow showing up in Central again-"

"No need to worry," Jay said, walking into the room. "Sorry for interrupting."

"Not at all Mr. Garrick. You're always welcome," Superman replied.

"Why aren't you with Wally?!" Flash demanded.

"I came to tell you that he's awake and asking for you."

"He is?!" He looked at Superman and Batman.

"Go," Batman said, waving his hand.

Flash zoomed out of the room and straight down to the Med Bay. He stopped outside Wally's room. "You going in?" Jay asked, appearing beside him.

"Yeah, I just….Jay, what am I going to do? I can't watch him all the time and what if Green Arrow comes back-"

"You don't need to worry. For now, you just have to go in there and be there for a kid who's in pain and needs his uncle to comfort him."

"Ok."

"Don't overthink this Barry."

Barry walked into the room and smiled. "Hey, Kid."

"Hey Uncle B!" Wally smiled. Barry ran a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead.

"How do you feel?"

"Mmm….knee hurts. Why hasn't it healed yet?"

"It'll heal soon. We had to slow down your healing so Dr. Mid-nite could fix you up."

"Good to have you back with us," Jay said in a relieved voice. "You had us, worried Kid."

"Sorry," Wally apologized bashfully.

"I'm so sorry Wally," Barry said, wrapping his hand over his nephew's forehead. "I should've never left you alone."

"It's not your fault Uncle B. I should've seen the arrow before it hit me. I don't know what kind of speedster can't dodge an arrow."

"That enough you two," Jay told them sternly. "The only one to blame here is that green archer you call Green Arrow."

"He almost killed me." Wally's words silenced the two older speedsters. "He-he was pointing that arrow right at me. He was going to kill me."

Barry gave Wally's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He's not going to hurt you again Kid. I'd never let this happen again."

"I know you will Uncle Barry." How much faith Wally had in the Flash never failed to humble Barry. "I'm hungry."

Jay laughed. "How about you take a nap instead? While you're out I'll go get some speedster protein bars."

"Ok…" Wally yawned and laid down against his pillow.

"Can you update Iris while you're down there?" Barry asked as he sat down by Wally's bed.

"One step ahead of you," Jay replied. He gave his pseudo-son and grandson one last smile before leaving. Barry turned back to Wally, determined not to leave his side. Despite how much pain he must've been in, Barry could just make out the cracking of bones as they healed together, Wally was out within minutes of Jay leaving. A couple of minutes after Wally fell asleep the door opened.

"What's wrong?" Barry asked when Batman came in.

"How is Kid Flash?" Batman asked, eyeing the unconscious, young speedster.

"Sleeping, for now, thank god. He doesn't need to be awake while this healing happens."

"Green Arrow will pay for what he did today."

Barry turned back to Wally, never taking his eyes off the bandages on the side of his nephew's face. "Good."


	21. Batman's Threats

A/N: Here's another update for all of you!

There were very few places that Batman couldn't get into. Oliver Queen's mansion wasn't one of those places. He scaled the wall, bypassing the alarms he knew were there with ease. Using the shadows as cover, Batman made his way to the building. There was only one lit room that could be made out from a distance, so that was the one he went for. Using his lock picks, he carefully unlocked a set of french windows and slipped inside. By the time Oliver Queen turned to the window he was hidden in a dark corner of the room. He remained motionless, watching as Queen poked his head outside. He made a dash for another dark corner. Queen closed the window and closed the curtains. Batman dashed forward appearing suddenly behind the businessman, so he was directly in front of him when he turned around.

"Jeez!" Oliver breathed, stumbling back. He glared at the Gothamite. "Breaking and entering is illegal."

"So is attempted murder," Batman replied.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to punch the vigilante, but Batman dodged it with ease and tripped Oliver. He jumped on the man, putting his hands around the billionaire's throat. In his mind, he saw the dark, hand-shaped bruises on Roy's neck, and he tightened his grip.

"How do you like someone choking you?!" he hissed. Oliver made a choking sound and Batman tightened his grip even more. He leaned down closer. "Listen closely, Queen. I know you hurt Roy Harper. You beat him almost daily and tried to make him a murderer. You will stay away from Roy and all of the Justice League and their kids. You stay out of our cities, we stay out of yours. If you don't….you'll find out how exactly I deal with sub-human scum like you." He released Oliver and got up.

Oliver coughed and rubbed his sore neck, glaring at Batman as he turned away. "You self-righteous assholes have no right to keep Roy from me! That boy belongs to me!"

Batman froze. "What did you just say?" he growled, fist clenching.

Apparently oblivious to how angry he was making the bat, Oliver stood up and kept talking. "You heard me! Roy is my property and you have no right to-" Batman would've impressed Superman and Flash with the speed he used to grab Oliver Queen by the neck and slam him into the closet wall. Before the other billionaire could blink there was a bat-a-rang pressed against his carotid artery.

"Let me clarify something for you." He nicked off a small piece of skin from Oliver's neck. "You do not own Roy. He's not your property. He's a young teenager that you abused and manipulated until he was scared to so much as look an adult in the eye." He flicked off another piece of skin, deeper this time. "You, Oliver Queen, are a sorry excuse for a person who was supposed to care for him. Monsters like you make me sick."

"What're you gonna do? Kill me?" Batman growled. "Of course you won't. You're weak, just like your Justice League buddies."

Batman threw Oliver across the room, causing him hit his head off of a window, breaking it. He threw a bat-a-rang, which cut across Oliver's leg. "That's for Roy." He threw two more, one pinned Oliver's shoulder and the other sliced his leg, as close to his knee as Batman could get it. "That's for Kid Flash." He knelt by Oliver. "Don't forget. Stay away from us. Stay away from Roy. He's far away from here where you can't hurt him. Stay away from him." He jumped through the window above Oliver's head, not caring if glass rained down on the injured man. As far as he was concerned Oliver Queen was lucky he was living to see the sunrise in the morning.

— —

Terror wasn't a strong enough word to describe how Roy felt when he saw Oliver. He was outside the mansion, much to his confusion. Roy looked around, only to have his heart stop when he saw his guardian standing a mere ten feet away. Green Arrow shook his head as he advanced on the teen. "Why did you run Roy?" he asked, still advancing, forcing Roy to keep backing up. "After everything, I did for you. You ran."

"I-I'm sorry," Roy whimpered. "I'm sorry Ollie."

"You listen to the corrupt Justice League instead of me. Why would you do that?"

"I-I-" The panic in Roy's mind was overriding whatever part controlled speech. His back hit the wall, trapping him. He sunk to the ground, falling onto his knees.

"Why do you keep misbehaving like this Roy?"

"I'll be good, I promise! I swear I'll behave! Please Ollie, just give me one more chance!"

"Why? You abandoned me." He nocked an arrow and Roy tried to make himself smaller. "I did everything for you Roy and you left."

"Ollie I'm sorry! Please, please spare me."

"I was making you better! You wanted to be a vigilante and I was showing you how."

"Please." Roy was crying. He knew Oliver hated seeing him cry, he had scars that reminded him of that, but he couldn't help it.

"If I don't kill you, then maybe I should kill your little friend instead?"

Roy shook his head as a fresh wave of terror washed over him. "No! No, Ollie, please! You're angry with me, not him!" Oliver grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall.

"Stay!" Roy didn't try to move. Oliver leveled an arrow at his chest.

"Ollie….please…." The arrow shot at him and Roy woke up. He gasped and scrambled at the sheets, momentarily panicking that he couldn't move one of his arms.

"Roy. Roy!"

"No please! I'm sorry please don't hurt me!"

The light turned on and he could see Dick standing in his doorway. The younger boy was in his pajamas, but he didn't look tired. "Roy are you ok?" Roy's breathing was still rapid. Dick ran over and scrambled onto the bed. He reached out to comfort Roy, only for the teen to pull away. "Roy it's ok," he said. "It's ok, I'm here. You're safe. You're in Gotham, Green Arrow isn't here." After several minutes of reassurances from Dick, Roy began to calm down. Dick studied his face intently, looking for an indication that Roy was feeling better. "You ok?"

Roy nodded. "Y-yeah. Sorry, I woke you up."

"I was already awake. Bruce just got back so I went downstairs to greet him."

"You didn't go with him?"

Dick shook his head. "Bruce wants me to stay here and make sure you're getting adjusted. Besides, he had something important to do tonight."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he went to Star."

"He did?!" Panic coursed through Roy.

"Mhm," Dick nodded. "It sounds like it was great! He beat up Oliver and told him he needs to stay away from you." Roy thought he was going to be sick. His stomach turned and his body temperature dropped several degrees. "Bruce said it was "karma" for what he did to you and Wally." That Roy wasn't expecting.

"Wally?"

"Kid Flash."

"What happened to Kid Flash?" he asked, voice small as he curled into a smaller ball; pulling his blanket up like it was going to protect him from the words Dick was saying. The boy's face darkened in a way that was both shocking and scary to Roy.

"He went to Central City to confront Flash while he was looking for you. He shot Kid Flash in the knee and he got hurt more when he fell because of how fast he was going."

"Is he….is he ok….?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Speedsters heal fast. He'll be back to annoying everyone in no time. The real bad side is that Bruce said Green Arrow might come after me too, so I can't patrol until he's certain that his threatening tonight got through to Oliver. Roy are you ok?" The red-haired teen was pale and shaky. Dick was afraid he was going to be sick or something.

"N-no. No this isn't ok!"

"What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Oliver's words in his nightmare were echoing in his head. 'If I don't kill you, maybe I should kill your little friend instead?' It wasn't an empty threat from a figment of his imagination. It was a real threat from a man Roy knew followed through on his threats. "I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt because of me!"

"Roy-"

"No. No, I won't let him hurt you too!"

"Roy-"

"I….I should just turn myself in. If-if I just go back to Oliver he'll leave you alone-"

"Roy!" Dick put his hands on Roy's shoulders. Roy flinched and Dick moved his hands. "Please listen. You can't go back to Star. Bruce would never let you go."

"Then I'll just…..go without telling him."

"You'd have to sneak out and you can't do that because A) he's Batman and B) your arm is in a sling." Roy looked down at his immobilized arm. "Bruce is going to keep us both safe."

"What about Kid Flash?"

"Flash would rather die than let something hurt Kid Flash. Wally will have Flash, the first Flash Jay Garrick, and the Justice League protecting him."

"Green Arrow is really good."

"He's a good archer, but not even he can fight the whole League. Trust them, they'll keep us all safe."

"Just….please promise you won't go out again until you know it's safe."

"Roy-"

"Please!" Roy grabbed Dick's hand in earnest, much to Dick's surprise. "Please."

Dick sighed. "I promise, I won't go out again as Robin until I know Green Arrow won't come after me."

"Ok." Dick watched Roy pull his hand back, then run it through his hair. He was still really tense. "What else is wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Something's bothering you, what is it?"

"Nothing-"

"Roy."

Roy looked away. "Ollie is going to be really mad." Dick had to take a moment to comprehend that Roy used a nickname for Oliver; like they were friends or something.

"About what?"

"That Mr. Wayne went after him because of me."

"Call him Bruce, but why does it matter?"

"Because….when he finds me he'll…." Roy couldn't even finish. Oliver would be furious the Roy had allowed people to find out what had been happening.

"Roy." Dick took his hand; he even grabbed the hand hanging limply out of the sling. "Oliver won't find you here. Bruce says he has no idea where you are and he's not going to find out. Trust me, the League, Bruce especially, will keep you safe." Roy didn't look convinced, but he also looked exhausted. "You should go back to sleep." He looked at the clock."We both should actually, I have school tomorrow."

"You-you go to school?"

"Unfortunately."

"Oh."

Dick slid off the bed. "Just try to sleep. I'll make sure you're awake and all set before I leave for school."

"Ok…" Dick walked away and Roy felt his panic return. "Dick!"

"Yeah?"

"Will you….would you please stay with me? Please?" He didn't know why he wanted Dick to stay. It was just hard for him to relax and sleep in this unknown room where the blank walls seemed to stare down at him all the time. He was about to take it back when Dick smiled and nodded.

"Of course. Just let me turn the light off." He did just that and joined Roy under the covers. He reached out blindly until he found Roy's hand. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Roy settled down with his head on the pillows. "Night Dick."

"Night Roy."

Roy laid still. After a few minutes, he heard Dick's breathing even out. He closed his own eyes, praying he wouldn't have another nightmare.

— —

A few hours later, after ruining some punching bags, Bruce made his way upstairs. He decided he'd check on Roy and make sure he was sleeping comfortably. Although, if he wasn't part of Bruce was pretty sure his presence wasn't going to help. After dealing with Queen first hand though, Bruce just needed the reminder that Roy was safe and sound in Wayne Manor. Once he reached Roy's bedroom he silently opened the door. He was surprised to find both Dick and Roy in Roy's bed. 'At least one of us has been doing something to help Roy,' he thought as he shut the door. Although, knowing Dick this probably wouldn't be the first time he found the younger boy sleeping in Roy's bed.

— —

Halfway across the country, though it wasn't quite as late as it was in Gotham, it was still late when Barry came through the front door. Despite the hour, he found Iris, Jay, and Joan waiting for him in his living room. "Is this an intervention?" he asked as he wife led him into the room and made him sit on the couch.

"Sort of," Iris said. "First of all, you need to go back to work."

"I've only missed one day-"

"Barry listen," Joan said sternly. The speedster shut his mouth.

"We need to keep up the charade. You hardly ever miss a day. Even with our cover story that you and Wally were in a car accident, the captain will be expecting you try and come even in, even for a half day."

Barry sighed but nodded. "Right."

"Second, we need to decide what to do with Wally." Barry nodded in agreement. Wally was being released from the med bay the following day, but he was still being confined to bed rest for another week, limited mobility (i.e. crutches) the week after that, and limited running the week after that. Despite how thorough and fast speedster healing was, Dr. Mid-nite wasn't willing to take any chances, and neither was Barry.

"That's why we're here," Jay said. "Joan and I have been talking, and we'd like to take Wally for a little bit."

"We could never ask you to do that."

"You don't need to," Joan told Iris. "We're volunteering."

"Not that I don't think your bat friend isn't scary enough to make Green Arrow stay away, because he looks like he might be, but something tells me this isn't a man who gives up."

Barry sighed. "Unfortunately you're right. I might not be Batman, and I might just be a lowly CSI, but I know his type. I've worked cases on men like him. He's not giving up that easy, even if Batman threatens him."

"Which is why you should let Joan and I take Wally. Let him come stay with us and get some fresh air. It'll be better for you if you only have to focus on Green Arrow and don't have to worry that Wally might not be safe."

"I can protect Wally-"

"Son, I'm not saying you can't. We want to help. If Wally isn't in Central he's that much safer."

Barry looked at Iris. Jay had a point. It would be better for Barry's stress levels, as well as Iris' if they didn't have to worry about Wally while Barry took care of Green Arrow. "It's not forever," Joan reminded them. "Wally won't think you're trying to get rid of him and you two can come visit him."

Iris took Barry's hand. "Thank you, both of you," she said. "Your guys' support has been amazing."

"Wally will stay with you guys until I've taken care of Green Arrow," Barry said. "I'll bring him by tomorrow after he gets out of the Watchtower."

"Good," Jay nodded. "And if you need any help taking this Green Arrow down-"

"Jay…" Joan warned him.

"What? I might be old, but I can still show these kids a thing or two."

Barry smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

iris pat his knee. "Now that we've settled that you need to go to bed."

"But-"

"No buts. Bed, now mister."

"Yes dear." Barry stood up. "Night Jay, Joan. Thank you again."

"Anytime Barry," Jay said as they all stood. "It's like I keep telling you….you, Iris, and Wally are family. We look out for family." Barry smiled his gratitude, gave Iris a kiss, then zoomed upstairs to his bedroom. Within seconds he was undressed and face planted into his pillows. Despite his protesting, he was exhausted. Every minute he was away from Wally felt like wasted time. He'd failed the kid twice now. Twice Wally had needed Barry and he hadn't been there to make it better. Which was why, as much as it hurt Barry to do so, he was taking the Garricks up on their offer. He needed to stay focused. 'I can't fail him again,' Barry thought as he fell asleep. 'Not again.'


	22. First Day Without Dick

A/N: I wanted to update this yesterday, but I've been swamped with mid-terms and papers this week. Thankfully I'm able to update today. Enjoy!

Roy was woken up by Dick getting out of bed the following morning. He sat up wondering if he could take his sling off to get dressed.

"I'll see you downstairs at breakfast," Dick told Roy.

"Ok." Once the door was shut Roy looked in his closet. Dick had helped him organize his clothes, so they were all neatly hung and organized by which pieces of clothing Dick liked best. He took off the sling to get dressed but put it back on right after. Re-doing the straps were a little difficult, but thankfully they were velcro, so he managed to figure it out. Since he wouldn't need them, he ignored his socks and shoes and left the room to eat breakfast. He sat in the same place he'd been sitting for the last couple of days, across from Dick, trying to keep his heartbeat normal.

"Here you are Master Roy," Alfred said, setting Roy's plate down in front of him.

"Thank you." Roy started eating, feeling a little queasy at how much food there was on his plate. It was more than Oliver had ever given him, which seemed to be a trend in Wayne Manor. Every meal was more food, and more variety of food, than Roy, was used to. 'Have to eat all of it though,' he told himself silently. 'I have to eat all of it.'

"Did you sleep well, Roy?" Bruce asked, hoping light conversation could start to build a trust between them.

"Yes, sir." Roy didn't even look up from his plate.

"That's good. Does your arm or hand hurt?"

"No, sir."

Bruce nodded. Dick nodded encouragingly, clearly wanting Bruce to keep trying to make conversation. "I know I haven't gotten you anything to do, I will soon though."

"That's ok, I don't need anything."

Bruce blinked and paused for a moment, but pressed on. "Well, today you can watch tv, or read…there's a library. You can help yourself to Dick's video games—"

"You can try to beat my scores," Dick teased. "Try."

"Right. Or you can sit outside. Whatever really. Ok?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ok then." Bruce let the conversation drop. 'It's only been two days,' he reminded himself. 'We're only on day three.' At least Roy looked less tense than he had the previous days, so Bruce took that as a very, very small win. Judging by the look Dick was giving him though, the boy didn't think Bruce's attempts at conversation weren't enough. Bruce shrugged. If Roy didn't want to talk to him, then he couldn't force him.

"Your lunch Master Dick," Alfred said, handing Dick a lunchbox.

"Thanks, Alfie," Dick replied.

"I suggest you finish, we shall be leaving soon."

"Ok."

Alfred paused momentarily, studying Roy. He still had food on his plate, although over half of it was gone, and he was eating a lot slower. It was hard to tell since Roy's face was turned down to face his plate, but he looked like he was dreading each forkful of food he put in his mouth. Alfred filed the information away while he helped Dick finish getting ready for school. Roy meanwhile, was forcing food down his own throat. He was full, but he couldn't leave any food on his plate, so he kept eating. It seemed like he was being ignored for now, which was fine with him, so he was able to continue eating without anyone questioning him. By the time he finished he was the last one at the table and Bruce and Dick were getting ready to leave. He found Dick in the foyer, getting his coat on and grabbing his backpack. Dick beamed and gave Roy a hug.

"Bye," Roy mumbled, awkwardly standing there while Dick hugged him.

"Bye Roy. I'll be back soon."

"Ok."

"I shall return soon Master Roy," Alfred told him. "Just as soon as I've dropped Master Dick off at school." Roy nodded and watched Dick leave. After the door shut he ran upstairs to the bathroom; just barely making it before he started throwing up. He threw up most of his breakfast and sat against the wall for a little bit afterward. It took a few minutes to get his breathing back under control. 'I think I ate too much,' he thought numbly as he made sure there was no sign of his getting sick and he'd rinsed his mouth out several times. After that, he curled up on his bed. He looked at his clock. '6 hours until Dick comes back,' he thought miserably. He didn't want to be alone with Alfred all day, but he was determined to stay in his room. 'If I stay in my room,' he thought sitting up. 'then there's less of a chance I'll do something wrong. Less of a chance to get hit.' He nodded to himself. 'I'll just stay in here. Dick will be back soon.'

Seven hours to go.

Roy sat on his bed and idly sorted the pack of cards Dick had left in the room from their last game. He'd discovered Dick was very good at Go Fish and War. First, he sorted the cards by color, then by suit, then by number. That he organized them from highest to lowest. He shuffled the cards and repeated this process. At some point, he heard footsteps in the hall and froze. He stared at the door as the footsteps paused momentarily outside his door, then moved on. Roy let out the breath he'd been holding and went back to his sorting game. He devised a game to see how fast he could sort the cards in under ten minutes. Then five.

Six hours to go.

Truthfully, Roy didn't know how to play solitaire, but he was pretty sure he'd figured it out. He had vague, very vague and fuzzy memories, of his father playing it when he was young. Unfortunately, the memories weren't enough to help him figure the game out. So he had to go off what he thought it was about. He played the way he'd played on his computer back with Oliver. 'I can always go find one of Dick's games,' he reminded himself. 'Unless some of those suggestions were tests or set-ups. Going outside was.' He wouldn't have been surprised. In his first couple months living with Oliver, his guardian would "test" Roy by tempting him to do things that were against the rules. Roy shivered. His 12-year-old self hadn't been prepared to face the mind games Oliver played by telling Roy he couldn't go outside but then leaving the door open when he left. He froze and closed his eyes to fight the sudden images of Oliver slamming him into a wall and telling him he was weak. That he was a bad person for purposefully breaking the rules and forcing Oliver to punish him. He squeezed his burned hand to bring himself back to reality. 'I won't fall for it this time. Not this time.' He went back his game of almost solitaire.

Five hours to go.

Wayne Manor was eerily silent. It was bigger than Oliver's mansion, much bigger, so Roy attributed the silence to the size. It was nice though. With Oliver silence meant he was alone. Being alone many he was safe for a few hours. Although he knew he wasn't alone, this silence still calmed Roy's nerves a little bit because he could pretend he was alone. His card game was also helping. After getting sick of solitaire, if that was what he had been playing, Roy moved on to playing a memory game. He spread the cards out on his bed face down and looked for pairs. This was much more entertaining than solitaire since he was 100% sure he was playing this game correctly. It was better when played with someone else, but Roy was an expert on activities that involved two people but usually only involved him. It was strange, but Roy realized he was starting to feel a little lonely. 'How can I feel lonely?' he asked himself. 'I haven't felt this way in years.' He'd been lonely when he'd first moved in with Oliver. After several months of being left alone all day and adjusting to Oliver being his only form of human interaction, lonely was a feeling he'd just gotten used to. Oliver had never been his friend, so Roy had been forced to learn how to be his own friend. Now he had Dick though, and he found himself with that empty feeling though. He kept playing memory though, trying to forget what this felt like.

Four hours to go.

Around 11 o'clock his stomach started to growl. "Stop," he told his stomach sternly. "There's still another hour until lunch." At least….he hoped it was. This was his first day alone with Alfred, and he didn't know if the man was going to feed him. It made Roy wish he hadn't thrown up earlier. The more food he had in his stomach, the easier it would be to go without. He'd given up on his memory game as well and had started just trying to guess what a card was going to be when he flipped it over. First, he guessed the colors, then the suits, then the numbers. It wasn't that engaging, so it didn't do a lot to keep him distracted from his stomach. He shifted his arm in the sling uncomfortably. Not being able to move it was unbearable. There was a twitching in his fingers that needed to shoot a bow. Unfortunately, he didn't have access to a bow, or arrows, and his arm was trapped in the sling. 'Just keep playing with the cards,' he thought. 'Just keep playing with the cards.'

Three hours to go.

Noon came, but Roy didn't leave his room. He was back to organizing his cards, having gone through all the games he could think of. 'Maybe I'll just play them on a loop,' he thought. He was just getting through another round of sorting the cards by number when someone knocked on the door and he jumped.

"Master Roy," Alfred said. "It is time for lunch sir."

"Ok," Roy said in a shaky voice. He opened his door slowly, wanting to shrink back when he saw Alfred on the other side.

"Are you coming, sir?"

"Y-yes." Roy followed Alfred downstairs feeling grateful that he did get to eat. He sat down at the table and quickly started eating his sandwich. "Thank you."

"You're welcome sir." Alfred kept an eye on Roy while he ate. The teen was eyeing the chips and juice he'd been given with uncertainty. He suddenly remembered what had happened at breakfast. "Master Roy."

Roy froze. "Yes?"

"You do know that you don't have to eat if you're full, right?"

"No, I'll eat it all. I will, I swear."

"Master Roy." Alfred sat in a seat next to him so the two of them were at eye level. "Master Roy, please look at me."

Roy looked at him, shrinking back into his seat. "I'm sorry. Can I finish please?"

Alfred gazed at him sadly. "Master Roy, I'm not going to take your meal." He'd never seen a child so scared of him before. Dick had been nervous when he'd first moved into the Manor, but Roy was just terrified. "I will not face you to tell me what Mr. Queen has done, but I want to assure you do not need to eat if you're not hungry-"

"No, I'll eat! I'll eat!"

"Master Roy. I will never take your food and I will not force you to eat it. If you're not hungry, then you can stop."

Roy glanced away. "Ok."

Alfred felt that Roy probably didn't believe him, but actions were louder than words. "Dr. Thompkins wants you to eat more, but I only want you to eat until you are full. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good." Alfred stood up and left the room, knowing his presence was just going to make Roy more uncomfortable. He kept an eye on the teen though, watching for any signs that Roy was getting full and refused to stop. He hoped he'd at least gotten through to Roy on this, but when the teen gave him his plate Alfred discovered it was completely empty. Roy left quickly after that. Alfred followed him with the stealth that only he could. Roy's bedroom door was open a crack. He stopped next to it and heard the unmistakable sound of the boy getting sick. Alfred shook his head and checked on Roy. The teen was sitting on the floor in the bathroom, shaking. "Master Roy, are you ok?"

Roy whimpered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I just- "

"It's ok sir." Alfred gently helped Roy stand despite his flinch. "You should lay down."

Roy frowned at Alfred as the old man helped lay down on his bed. "You-you aren't mad…?"

"Of course not sir. However, I do ask that you realize you wouldn't get sick if you don't force yourself to eat after you're full."

"Ollie would get mad if I didn't eat all my food." And he'd always been too hungry not to eat everything. He flinched only slightly when Alfred gently felt his forehead.

"I assure you, Master Roy, I would do no such thing. You should rest for a little bit. I shall bring you some water."

"Thank you."

"Of course Master Roy."

Three hours to go.

Roy spent some time just laying on his bed. True to his word, Alfred had brought Roy some water. It washed down the vile taste in his mouth and helped his stomach settle. He didn't sleep, but instead counted and watched his clock. 'Why is it taking so long for Dick to come back?' he wondered. It had been so long since Roy had been to school, he'd forgotten how long it actually is. More pressing on his mind though, was if he would be in trouble when Bruce got home. He shivered, wrapping his arms around his body. Sure, Alfred hadn't hit him for throwing up his food, but the didn't mean Bruce wouldn't. 'It's just been three days,' he reminded himself. 'It's only been three days. I couldn't even make it three days before screwing up again.' The thought made him wish he could bury himself down in his blankets and never come out.

Two hours to go.

Even when he was scared, Roy couldn't just lay on his bed. After making sure no one was near his bedroom, Roy sat on the floor, idly playing with his longbow. He hadn't really looked at it since that night Oliver had burned it. He'd chosen to hide it to try and preserve what was left of his most prized possession. He examined it closely, heart clenching at every crack in the wood. There were only small flecks of red paint left. 'I can't let anyone else see it,' he deiced, carefully hiding it under his bed again. 'I can't let anyone see it. I have to protect what's left of it.'

One hour to go.

After more doing nothing, Roy went back to playing with the cards. He found himself getting better at shuffling them with one hand and started playing the memory game again. It was the most fun out of all the games he'd played. He went through several rounds, wondering how Dick's day was going. probably better than his. 'It's just going to get worse later,' he reminded himself. 'When Mr. Wayne gets home I'll be in lots of trouble.' After a significant amount of time, there was a knock on his door.

"Y-yes?" he asked.

The door opened and Alfred walked in. "Master Roy, I am leaving to pick up Master Dick. We shall be back soon."

"Ok." Thankfully Alfred closed the door when he left. Roy went back to his game, feeling a little better since Dick was going to be back soon. He made it through several more rounds of the memory game, it was getting faster after doing it so many times before he heard footnotes running down the hall. Three seconds later the door opened and Dick came running in, still in his school uniform.

"Hi Roy!" he smiled. He somersaulted on to the bed, somehow still incredibly agile in his slacks and blazer. "How was your day?"

"Um….it was ok….I guess…."

"That's good! Hang on, I'm gonna go change and then we'll go get a snack!"

"No don't-"

"Wait right here." Before Roy could say anything else Dick somersaulted back off the bed and ran out of the room. He sat rigidly, trying desperately to think of a way to convince Dick that they shouldn't go downstairs. Unfortunately, Dick was really fast and returned before Roy had thought of something. "Come on!" Dick grabbed Roy's hand and pulled. "Let's go!"

"Dick…I really think we should just stay here-"

"No way! Alfred made more cookies!" He pulled Roy down to the kitchen, ignoring the teen's near-constant protests. "Hi, Alfie!"

"Good afternoon sirs," Alfred said. "I trust you're here for cookies?"

"Of course." Dick made Roy sit and sat next to him. Alfred placed a plate of cookies in front of them. It took less than a second for Dick to rap two and get halfway through one of them. "Mmm."

Alfred did his best to keep his face neutral as he placed two glasses of milk in front of the boys. "Go ahead Master Roy," he said encouragingly. Roy looked down. Dick looked at him worriedly, trying to hand him a cookie, but Roy kept his free hand in his lap. "Master Roy," Alfred said again, putting a little more force in his voice. Roy looked up at him. "You have my permission to have cookies as long as you and Master Dick are sitting here."

"I-I can?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Roy took the cookie from Dick and bit into it. He blinked. It was the single most delicious thing he'd eaten in two years.

"You like it?!" Dick asked excitedly.

Roy nodded. Alfred gave them a smile before leaving the room. It would probably make Roy less nervous if he left them alone. He walked into the foyer and was surprised by Bruce walking through the front door. "Master Bruce, you're home early."

"I canceled a meeting," Bruce replied.

"You did?"

"Yes. I was supposed to meet with some representatives from Queen Industries."

Alfred smiled. "I see. Well handled then."

"Don't judge me. I want nothing to do with Queen right now."

"Any self-respecting person would."

"Where are the boys?"

"In the kitchen. However," he stopped Bruce in his tracks. "I would advise you to stay clear. You tend to make Master Roy very nervous and I have managed to convince him to eat a snack."

"Well, that's….progress I hope. What kid doesn't like snacks?"

"One who suffered under the manipulations of Oliver Queen."

"How as he today?"

"He was in his room all day. Silent as a mouse."

"Do you know what he did?"

"I saw a deck of cards on his bed, so I assume he entertained himself with that."

"All day? I should get him some books or….something. I'll ask Dick."

"Good idea sir."

"I'll be in my study."

"Very good sir."

Alfred checked on the boys briefly as he passed the kitchen. Roy looked relaxed as he ate. Alfred smiled and silently crept away. Getting him to eat a couple of cookies was a very small victory, but Alfred would take it.

— —

Barry held Iris' hand as he led her through the Watchtower. "I don't think you've ever been up here," he commented as they walked to the med bay.

"Let's not make a habit of it," Iris warned him. Barry nodded. He opened the door to Wally's room and his wife ran ahead of him. "Wally!" she gave her nephew a hug.

"Aunt Iris, I've only been here for three days!" Wally protested as she kissed his head.

"And in those three days, you almost died and broke dozens of bones."

"How do you feel Kid?" Barry asked.

"Good. Dr. Mid-Nite gave me some more of that cool pain medicine. He said that my head is almost healed and my wrists are healing really good."

"That's good. So, your aunt and I have something we need to talk to you-"

"UncleBarrypleasedon'tmakemegiveupbeingKidFlash! IknowImessedupthistimebutIpromiseI'lldobetterand-"

"Whoa, slow down Kid. I'm not making you give up Kid Flash. Although that is a good idea…"

"Barry focus," Iris reminded him.

"Right. Wally, the League is worried Green Arrow is going after you, Robin, and Aqualad in retaliation for us taking Speedy. All of you are off duty, which isn't a problem for you because you can't walk anyways."

"How long until I can run again?" Wally asked.

"If everything goes well, two weeks-"

"What?!"

"With limited running. In three you should be good to come back as Kid Flash if Green Arrow is taken care of."

"You're also going to be staying with Jay and Joan until your uncle and the League can be sure Green Arrow won't be coming after you," Iris added.

"But he doesn't know I'm Kid Flash. He doesn't know I'm Kid Flash right?!"

"Wally relax," Barry said. "Green Arrow doesn't know your identity. We're doing this because it will give me peace of mind to know that Green Arrow has no idea where Kid Flash is."

"It's only for a little bit," Iris assured.

Wally sighed. "Ok. I guess it could be fun."

"Make sure you ask Jay for all his old Flash stories," Barry said. "You know how he likes telling those."

"Jay's stories are the best!"

Barry chuckled and ruffled his nephew's hair. "I'm going to see if I can find Dr. Mid-nite so we can take you home."

"Don't worry Aunt I. Next time I'm going to dodge that arrow!"

Barry laughed as he left the room. Right before he left he heard Iris say, "I expect you to mister. No more of Jay coming to tell me you've been shot. Got that?"

"You got it, Aunt Iris."


	23. The News Gets Bad

A/N: Time for another chapter! Read and enjoy!

The morning more or less went downhill when Alfred placed the paper in front of Bruce. "It appears we have a small problem sir," Alfred said as Bruce picked it up.

"What's it say?!" Dick asked, craning his neck to look. He couldn't see from this angle, so he got up and read over Bruce's arm. He gasped when he saw the headline. "That's not good."

"What's not good?" Roy asked as he walked in.

"Nothing," all three of them answered as Bruce quickly folded the paper and Dick slipped back into his seat.

Roy sat down and Alfred gave him his breakfast. "Thank you." While they ate he couldn't help but notice the agitation on Bruce's face. His stomach started to flip-flop nervously, and the worried look on Dick's face didn't help anything. 'What did I do? Or is it something Dick did? No, it's probably something I did.' Every time Bruce moved Roy froze. HIs eye kept flickering between the man and his food, keeping a constant surveillance on him. This wasn't missed by Bruce. He tried to school his features to something neutral, but every time he managed it the headline popped into his head and he got angry again. He wanted to say something to Roy to assure the teen he wasn't angry with him, but he also didn't want to tell him about what was in the paper. He glanced around. It probably wasn't helping that Dick was playing with his food with a worried look on his face and Alfred, who was usually very calm, also looked concerned. Both kept looking at Roy, no doubt making the teen more nervous. Roy did his best to keep his panic under control. Right now his stomach was twisting so much he couldn't think straight, much less eat. Finally, Bruce finished and took his plate into the kitchen. Alfred followed him; as did Dick not two minutes later. Roy glanced back, just barely able to hear their whispers. He stared at the newspaper on the table. He bit his lip. Taking a chance, he got up and pulled it towards himself.

In the kitchen, Bruce was in the middle of directing Alfred and Dick not to tell Roy what the newspaper said when they heard a scream followed by a crash! They all ran back not the dining room. Roy was the ground, along with his plate, broken, and his food was spilled everywhere. Roy was curled up against the wall, hyperventilating and shaking. The newspaper was on the floor in front of him, boldly displaying its front page headline. "Billionaire Oliver Queen's Ward, Roy Harper, Missing". Dick dropped to his knees. "Roy," he said. "Roy calm down." Roy just kept hyperventilating without even acknowledging Dick's existence. Roy could barely even hear him. All he could hear was his heart pounding against his ribs. A sharp pain was building his chest and he was starting to feel like he might pass out. Bruce knew he had to step in. Dick was wholly unprepared to talk someone out of a panic attack. So, he gently pushed Dick aside and knelt down in front of Roy.

"Roy look at me. Look at me." He spoke directly to the teen, practically ignoring Dick and Alfred. Roy's eyes flickered to Bruce's face. "Breath in slowly." He took a deep breath himself, moving his hand with the rhythm of his breathing to emphasize it. "In. Out. In. Out." Roy was able to focus enough to take smaller breaths, a little more in rhythm with Bruce. "Good job. Deep breath. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you. Keep breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Good job." After several minutes of assuring Roy he was safe and guiding his breathing, Bruce looked at Alfred. "Can you get him some water?"

"Right away sir." Alfred left while Bruce kept guiding Roy's breathing. By the time he came back Roy's breathing as under control, as was the shaking.

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce took the water from Alfred and carefully handed it to Roy. "Small sips." Roy held the glass with two hands, disturbing his sling, but it did nothing to hide the tremor that was going through them. He took a couple of sips. He felt shaky all over. Like all his muscles had been loosened. He took another few sips and Bruce gently took the glass. Dick knelt next to Bruce, still looking really worried.

"Roy are you ok?"

Roy swallowed. "I should've known this would happen…" his whispered. "He's going to find me now."

"Roy," Bruce said. "Roy look at me." Roy's eyes flickered to his face. "Oliver will not find you. This doesn't change anything."

"But the police are looking for me now."

"They have no reason to believe that you're in Gotham. I promise you they're not going to find you here."

"No, no, he's going to find me. He's going to find me. I'm going to be in so much trouble." Roy pulled his legs up to his chest and started rocking slightly. Bruce sighed and stood up while Dick scooted closer to Roy to try and calm him down more. Bruce gently pulled Alfred aside.

"Keep an eye on him today Alfred. I'm sure he'll be shaken up after seeing that."

"Having the Star City police investigating his disappearance won't make this easier for him."

"No, it won't. When he gets calmed down some more can you talk to him, please? Just…assure him that we will do whatever it takes to protect him and that this doesn't mean Oliver will find him."

"I shall do my best sir."

"Thanks." He glanced back at the boys. "I'll take Dick to school today. I don't think we should leave Roy alone."

"A very good idea sir."

"Dick, get ready for school."

Dick stood up. "Can I call in sick?"

"No."

"Bruce, I can't leave Roy-"

"Alfred will take care of him. You can't miss any more school this month."

"But-"

"Roy will be fine." Dick looked doubtful, but sighed nonetheless, knowing it was useless to argue. He left to brush his teeth and grab his backpack. Alfred left to get Dick's lunch, leaving Bruce and Roy alone. Bruce slowly knelt down in front of Roy again. "Roy. Roy." Roy looked at him. "I know you don't trust me right now, and that's ok. If I was in your position I wouldn't trust me either. I just want you to know that I will do everything in my power to keep Oliver away from you. I swear that he will never hurt you again as long as I'm here. Understand?" Roy gave him a hesitant look.

"O-ok."

It was obvious he didn't believe Bruce. It saddened the man to see him in this state. He was so clearly convinced Oliver was going to find a way to get to him. Not even 3,000 miles away, hidden and protected by Batman himself, did Roy believe he was safe from that monster. Bruce stood up. He knew talk was cheap. The only way he was going to convince Roy he was safe from Oliver was to prove it to him. The only way to do that? Do everything ins his power to make sure the Star City police's investigation went cold and keep Queen from trying to locate Roy further. His phone when it started ringing and he groaned when he saw who it was. "What do you want Clark?" he asked quietly, leaving the room.

"Have you seen the news?" Clark asked.

"Yes, I have. I figured something like this would happen."

"And you didn't want to tell the rest of us?"

"Queen would've gone to the police eventually, he'd be a fool not to. It would look a lot worse if word got out Roy was missing and he didn't report it."

Clark sighed. "We're playing with fire Bruce."

"Good thing you're indestructible."

"I'm serious. What if Oliver tells the police Batman kidnapped Roy?"

"They'd probably laugh at him."

"And if they didn't? What if they bring it to Commissioner Gordon?"

"Gordon wouldn't believe Batman would kidnap Oliver Queen's ward. Even if he did, he doesn't know who Batman is so the case would still be a dead end."

"That still brings the case to Gotham."

"I'll monitor it closely. Tell Diana, Hal, and J'onn I want them to get rid of the zeta by Queen's house."

"Already done." Nice to see the Boy Scout on top of things for a change.

"Good."

"I have to go. Lois and I are going to Star."

"Why?"

"Why else? To interview Oliver Queen."

"Does Lois know?"

"She will. I'll try to find out what Oliver is saying and what he knows about Roy's possible location."

"Good. Update me."

"I will. Just keep Roy safe."

Bruce glanced back at Roy, who was still in a fetal position against the far wall. "I will." Bruce hung up and walked back into the dining room. Dick came in, now carrying his school bag. He knelt down in front of Roy again.

"I'll be back soon," he promised. "Everything is going to be ok." He gently squeezed Roy's hand before he stood up.

"Try not to worry Roy," Bruce said to the silent teen. "I won't let Oliver come near you. Come on Dick." He gently corralled the younger boy out of the room. Alfred knelt down in front of Roy after they left.

"Master Roy, perhaps you would like to sit in a chair," he advised, gently guiding Roy to his feet and led him to a chair. "I'm terribly sorry this has been such a stressful morning for you." He set Roy's water on the table next to him. "Drink some more. Small sips." Roy nodded and mechanically took a few sips of water. Alfred quickly took the paper away so that it couldn't trigger another panic attack. Roy's head finally started to clear and he was able to take in the situation around him. He was feeling pretty calm until he saw the broken plate on the floor.

"Oh no," he squeaked, drawing himself up into the chair more.

Alfred came back. "Have you- Master Roy what's wrong?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry, it was an accident. I didn't mean to."

"What was an accident?"

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Alfred frowned even more. "What-" he looked around and spotted the broken plate, which had been forgotten. Realization dawned on him. "Ah." He turned back to Roy who was staring at Alfred in fear.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. It was an accident." Roy's words started getting faster.

"It is ok Master Roy. You were not in control of your actions." As much as he wanted to comfort the poor boy, Alfred knew that trying to touch him would just make things worse.

"I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I'm so clumsy-"

"Master Roy you must breathe!" Roy froze when Alfred raised his voice. "Breathe slowly. In. Out. In. Out. Good. Now, please listen. You are not in trouble sir. You were in the middle of a panic attack when you knocked it off, so you had no control over your actions. I understand it was an accident and I am not mad. I will not punish you, nor will I hit you. Do you understand?" Roy glanced at Alfred's hands. They were folded behind him, and nothing in his body suggested he was actually angry or ready to hit him. Feeling like he simply got lucky, Roy nodded.

"Yes."

"Good. Now, I want you to go lay down. You've had a very eventful morning. I'll bring you a small snack in a little while."

"Ok." Roy got up. He paused for a moment looking back at his water. "Can-can I bring my water? Please?"

"Of course sir."

"Thank you." Roy carefully grabbed his water and carefully avoided the shattered plate on his way out. He quickly went upstairs, making sure to shut his bedroom for behind him. He took a gulp of water and set it down before he curled up under his blanket. 'What will happen when Mr. Wayne comes back?' he thought miserably. 'I'm in for it then.' Plus not getting hit, yet, didn't mean he wouldn't get punished some other way. Oliver had many ways to punish Roy that didn't always involve hitting, although that had been his favorite way to do it. Roy closed his eyes. The past four days, as anxious as they were for him, had been relatively nice. Dick's company, as well as the consistent meals, were a nice change of pace for him. Then he'd gone and done something stupid like this. 'I'm so clumsy. Why do I have to ruin everything?' He'd done it with Oliver and now he was doing it here. 'Why can't I just do something right for a change?'

— —

When they got to California, Clark decided it was the right time to warn Lois about their interviewee. He waited unit they were in the rental car though and driving to Star. "Lois," he began. "I have to tell you something."

"Let me guess, the Justice League knows something about Roy disappearing?" she asked casually.

"How did you know?"

"I'm psychic." She caught the look on Clark's face out of the corner of her eye and laughed. "Iris has been keeping me updated."

"You talk to Iris?"

"Of course I do. How else are we supposed to talk about you and Barry?"

"Right. So, what has Iris told you?"

"She said that Oliver Queen is a special kind of scum bag. That he's the Green Arrow and kills people at night. Also that he was beating Roy, who was Speedy. Am I missing anything?"

"No."

"Good. Does he have any idea where Roy is now?"

"No, and we plan to keep it that way."

"It looks like he doesn't plan on just letting this go."

"Unfortunately, no. Barry and Bruce have both said that men like him don't give up easily."

"I can see why. With Roy on the loose, it gives the League leverage over him."

Clark looked at her in confusion. "How so?"

"Roy can tell you everything about him. His habits, his weaknesses. You have evidence of the abuse and first-hand accounts of the numerous murders Green Arrow committed. Not to mention how Roy was strong leverage over the League. You guys had to be careful how you dealt with him because of Roy. Anything you did could've put him in more danger. Now that he's gone you don't have to be as careful anymore."

It never ceased to astound Clark how smart Lois was. "That's….exactly. So you get it."

Lois smiled. "Yes, I do. Just try not to punch him through a wall."

"Ok, but you can't punch him either."

"My punches won't send him to the moon."

That was a good point. "I won't hit him. Besides, he hasn't been seen since he maimed Kid Flash."

"Iris told me about that too."

"I figured."

"This guy is really unstable."

"Yes, and for some reason, the Justice League doesn't scare him."

"Well, Batman and Wonder Woman are the scariest among you."

"Hey!"

"Doesn't Bruce call you the Boy Scout?"

"...So?"

"You're a Boy Scout, Barry is puppy with super speed, Hal is a green softie-"

"Aquaman is tough."

"He lives in the ocean. J'onn is endearing. Wonder Woman and Batman are the scariest among you."

Clark nodded. He could see her point now. "Yes, but if I let Diana and Bruce take care of Oliver alone there wouldn't be pieces of him left to find."

"Probably." They pulled up to the gate of Oliver's property and Clark slipped his glasses down when Lois did her thing. He looked inside the building and saw that Oliver was pacing around inside. Lois drove them up the mansion and he slid his glasses back into place. "Ready?"

Clark nodded as they got out. "Let's go get the story."

"Without murder."

"Without murder." Clark let Lois knock on the door, fearing he might accidentally break it down. The urge didn't go away when Oliver opened the door.

"More reporters?" he asked with distaste.

"Good afternoon Mr. Queen, I'm Clark Kent-"

"I know who you are, we've met before."

"Right. This is Lois Lane, we're from the Daily Planet."

"I know. I suppose you want to ask me some questions." He stepped aside so they could enter. "Come on in."

"Thank you," Lois said politely. They walked in and Oliver shut the door behind them. Clark looked around. Oliver's home was nice enough, but he couldn't help wondering how many times Oliver had pushed Roy into a wall, or if he'd ever pushed Roy down the stairs. He must've looked mad because Lois cleared her throat, just quiet enough for him to hear.

"This way." They followed Oliver down a hall and into a room that Clark recognized and sent anger surging through him. Oliver's office. The place where he'd whipped Roy with a belt and beat him senseless. Lois cleared her throat again and Clark carefully unclenched his fists. Oliver leaned against the desk, giving the two reporters a look. "Well?"

"Of course Mr. Queen," Lois said, taking the lead since it was obvious Clark wanted to drop kick Oliver Queen to the moon. "First off, I would like to express how sincerely sorry we are to hear about Roy."

"Thank you. It's been a very hard 3 days."

"Why did you wait 3 days before reporting him missing?"

Oliver sighed. "Roy has always been a troubled kid. I thought that maybe he'd just run away."

"Why do you no longer think he left of his own accord?"

"He would've come back by now. He's trouble but Roy and I have a good relationship. He really respects me and I know that if he left he would've come back." Clark wondered how much of that "respect" had been beaten into Roy. "Which is why I now think that he was kidnapped."

"Right." Lois glanced at Clark, making sure he was writing it down. "Mr. Queen, does it worry you that Roy was kidnapped 3 days ago and you still haven't received a ransom demand?"

"Yes. When he was kidnapped 2 years ago after he first started living with me it only took a few hours to get a ransom demand."

"Last time Roy was rescued by the Green Arrow, do you think the same thing will happen this time?"

"I sincerely hope the Green Arrow will get Roy home to me safe and sound."

'Not if I have anything to say about it,' Clark thought. He decided he'd better start asking questions too. "If you could say anything to the people who….have Roy, what would you say?"

Oliver seemed to consider it for a minute. "I would tell them that I care about Roy very much and I just want him to come home safe."

"You really care about him a lot?"

"Mr. Kent he's like a son to me." Clark could just barely keep from rolling his eyes. "I'd die before I let anything hurt him." The pencil in his hand snapped and small pieces of it disintegrated.

"Sorry," Clark said quickly, smiling in a way he'd been assured by Bruce made him look, quote, "like a dumb farm boy". "I grip my pencils too tight sometimes."

"Huh." Oliver's eyes narrowed a little bit and started surveying Clark a little more closely.

Lois noticed and redirected the conversation away from him. "Have the police given you any idea on their leads?"

Oliver looked at her. "No, they haven't."

"Do you have any ideas as to who could've possibly done this?"

Neither of the reporters missed the way Oliver's mouth and jaw tightened. "No. I don't."

"If Roy is out there somewhere, and could read this, what would you say to him?"

Oliver seemed to become saddened. "I would tell him that I miss every day and I can't sleep I'm so worried. If he's been kidnapped I'd tell him to stay strong because I'll bring him back."

"Uplifting words Mr. Queen."

"Thank you. Is that all? I don't mean to be rude, but I do have a lot of work to do and talking…." He seemed to stumble over his words. "Talking about Roy is very emotional for me right now."

"Of course we understand." Clark very wisely didn't speak, but merely nodded. "Do you have a picture of Roy we can possibly use?"

Oliver shook his head. "No…..Roy didn't- doesn't like having his picture taken. You know how teenagers are."

Lois smiled sadly. "I can imagine."

"I'll show you two out." They followed Oliver back to the front door. Clark put his things back in his bag as they walked. He just had to make it a few more minutes without punching Oliver and they'd be in the clear. Deep down, he hated everything about this. He hated how the League's hands were tied. How an innocent child had gotten caught up in this kind of situation. He especially hated how angry this made him. Clark wasn't exactly known for not having good self-control, but being around Oliver seemed to make everyone lose their cool. Except for Lois, who'd remained perfectly calm throughout the whole thing. Oliver opened the door and Lois shook his hand.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Queen," she said politely.

Clark shook his hand as well. He couldn't help the thought that popped into his head and saw that very hand hitting Roy. He took his hand back, afraid he was going to break Oliver's. "We hope you find Roy soon," he said quietly. "If there is anything we could do to help, please contact us at the Planet."

"Thank you Mr. Kent, I will," Oliver said. Clark and Lois left and he shut the door behind him.

"That," Lois declared as they got in the car. "Was some grade A bullshit."

"No kidding," Clark agreed.

"What's with the look?"

"What look?" They started driving away.

"I can smell your gears turning from here. Something not right?"

"None of this is right. It's just….None of it is right."

"The world is full of bad people Clark."

"He has so much power and money, why does he want Roy? Can't he just leave that kid in peace?"

"I'm confident you're doing everything you can to keep him safe."

"It'd be easier if Oliver would just leave Roy alone."

Lois shrugged. "Like I said, it's bullshit. Him, his excuses, this situation."

"I guess. We should go to the-"

"Star City police station, yes Clark I'm heading there right now."

"Good. Do you want me to talk to the lead detective on the case?"

Lois snorted. "In your dreams Farm Boy. I've got the detective. You go snooping among the beat cops. Get a feel for their view on the case."

"Got it."

— —

The next few days were a game of "How Long Can We Keep Roy Away From the News?" Upon hearing from Clark how Oliver's interview went, Bruce decided that Roy had to be kept from the media at all cost. He didn't want Queen's lies and bullshit getting into Roy's head. More than it already had at least. The paper was easy. He simply asked Alfred to simply throw out any newspaper that had Queen's name in it. The tv, on the other hand, was another issue. It helped that Roy didn't seem that interested in watching tv, but that only lasted a couple of days. A couple of days after the original incident of Roy finding out Oliver was looking for him, Bruce came home to find Dick and Roy watching tv in the den. It was a cartoon of some kind that A: normally wouldn't be interesting to Dick and B: looked a little young for Roy. They didn't notice him in the doorway watching them though, and Bruce could tell that it had relaxed Roy, so he'd quietly left them alone. After that trying to keep Roy from the news got a lot harder. While Bruce was happy that Roy was relaxing enough that he would venture out of his room to watch tv, it added the risk of Roy seeing a news report about his disappearance. Bruce tried to solve this problem by having Alfred monitor Roy during the day and to intervene if the news came up. The next few days were fine and Bruce started to think that maybe Roy would never know about Queen's latest lies.

A week after the first paper appeared those hopes were dashed.

Roy was wandering around the Manor looking for Dick. He should've been home from school by now, but he'd yet to come running into Roy's bedroom to drag him out and make him do something. "Dick," he said quietly, poking his head into the kitchen. Not to eat of course, but just to see if Dick was sneaking a snack again. There was no one there though. "Dick." He took another quick look around and was about to leave when something on the island caught his eye. It was just a newspaper, but a small headline on a side column drew Roy in. "Oliver Queen Sets Reward for Return of Ward". His heart started racing a little bit as he flipped the paper over and read the article. He started to feel numb as he read. When he reached the end of the column he didn't wast any time getting to the page where it was continued. "Mr. Queen says the last week and a half of his life have been hell," he read quietly to himself. "When asked if what he would say to Roy if he could, Mr. Queen said, quote, 'I would tell Roy that I miss him a lot and will do anything to get him home.'" Roy had to pause for a moment before he could continue. "Mr. Queen also had some words for whoever may be keeping Roy, 'Whatever problems you may have with me don't include him. Roy is an innocent teen and doesn't deserve to treated like a pawn. Please just return him to me safe. All I want is for him to come home.'" He slowly closed the paper, letting his fingers stay on the headline idly.

"Master Roy?" Roy jumped and turned around. Alfred gave him a curious look. "Are you hungry sir?"

Roy shook his head. "No-no thank you, Alfred."

Alfred watched him go curiously. He noticed the newspaper on the island and frowned. "Oh no." When he picked it up, he noticed the headline on the side almost immediately. He quickly scanned through the article. "Oh dear." He took the paper straight to Bruce's study, not bothering to knock before he entered, which caught Bruce's attention right away.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" Bruce asked, stopping with his pen mid-stroke.

"I'm afraid I accidentally left this out." Alfred handed the paper to Bruce, who started reading the article immediately. "I believe Master Roy has read it."

Bruce sighed. "Dammit. I was hoping we could stop this."

"I'm terribly sorry sir."

"It's not your fault Alfred."

"I think you should go talk to him, sir."

"Well, Dick isn't here." Why did he have to be on a field trip today of all days?

"Sir," the sternness of Alfred's voice surprised Bruce. "This is a problem that you cannot delegate to Master Dick. If you really want to help Master Roy, you must show him that you are a better caretaker than Oliver Queen."

"I've been trying-"

"In some respects, you have been successful. You give him space and never let him starve, but it's not enough. If you want Master Roy to trust you then you need to address his psychological problems as well."

"Alfred he doesn't even want to be in the same room as me." Which wasn't completely true. Roy had been relaxing a little around Bruce when they were in the same room; as long as Dick and/or Alfred was in the room also.

"You need to try sir. If you truly want to help Master Roy you have to start actively showing him that you are a much better man than Oliver Queen."

Bruce sighed. "Why are you always right?"

Alfred's mouth quivered. "I try sir."

Bruce stood up, folding the paper in his hands. "I'll talk to Roy." On the walk to Roy's room, he tried to figure out what he would say. If he knew beforehand what he would say, he hoped he could refine anything that might make this worse. Unfortunately, it didn't help that he didn't know how Roy was reacting to this. Based off of Alfred's reaction, it probably wasn't good. He knocked on the door to Roy's room. "Roy? Can I come in?"

"Yes."

Bruce opened the door and found Roy sitting on his bed. He walked in and looked around, knowing he was trying to delay the actual conversation. Due to Roy's constant instance that he didn't need anything from Bruce, Dick had taken several books from the library, as well as several things form his own room, and put them in Roy's so that he had something. It made the room look more lived in. Bruce sighed and held up the paper. "Alfred said you read this."

"Was-was I not supposed to?"

"No…I just-" He didn't know how to approach this. "Roy-"

"I want to go back."

"What?" There's no way he could've heard that correctly.

"I-I want to go back to Star."

Bruce sat down on the edge of the bed. "Roy-"

"Did you read the article?"

"Yes. I did."

"He wants me to come back. Oliver really does care about me."

"Roy-"

"I can go back. If-If I just apologize for running away and take my punishment then maybe everything will be ok."

It truly hurt Bruce to see the desperately hopeful look on Roy's face. He was suddenly hit by a painful realization. Roy might've been 14, but he was still young. A kid who'd been orphaned twice before he was a teenager. As terrible as it was, Oliver Queen had offered Roy a home and another chance to have some family. Bruce could see it written all over Roy's face that he wanted that. He wanted to believe Oliver was the good man he'd believed him to be. Which is why it made Bruce feel so terrible to say what he knew he had to say next. "Roy, I need you to listen to me. Really listen. I know you want Oliver to be….someone he's not-"

"You don't know that."

"I do. I'm sorry Roy, but I can't let you go back."

"You-you can't keep me here!"

"I can and will. I'm sorry Roy, I really am. You have to understand though, you can't go back. It's not safe. Oliver won't stop hitting you."

"He cares about me though! If I just do better and-"

"Roy he won't stop. I know this hard for you to hear. It's terrible, I know, but this is a terrible situation."

"He will stop!"

"Roy-"

"He cares about me!"

Bruce felt like he'd been cornered. Roy wouldn't see reason. Even worse, he truly thought Queen cared about him. No matter how dangerous that thought might be, Bruce couldn't bring himself to tell the teen the truth. He swallowed. "You're not going back, Roy. You know deep down that Oliver will never change. There's nothing you can do."

Roy shook his head. "No…he-he does care about me."

Bruce realized this conversation wouldn't get him anywhere. "I'm sorry Roy. You can't go back to Star and you can't go back to Oliver." He got up, making sure to take the paper with him. "You'll see in time." He left Roy alone, hoping some time alone would help him realize the truth.

Once Bruce was gone, Roy curled up. "He cares about me," Roy muttered. "He cares about me." His mind wandered to the bow under his bed. He saw the wood burning in the fireplace and the charred surface that replaced the bright, yet slightly chipped red paint. "He cares about me. He has to."


	24. Getting Tenser and Tenser

A/N: this is a nice long chapter for you guys. Enjoy.

Frustration was not an emotion Oliver handled well. He did not have the time nor the patience to deal with things not going his way. Which is why he broke one of Roy's bows; snapping it in half. He threw the broken bow against the wall of the arsenal with a shout. "Where is he?!" he snarled. A week and a half. It had been a week and a half and he had nothing! Not a single clue about where the League was keeping Roy. "That stupid kid," he muttered, grabbing his empty quiver. His frustrations last night had been taken out on the criminals in Star. "I should've known this would happen." He should've figured the Justice League would intervene. He'd been counting on their tentative truce to keep them away from Roy until he'd had the boy sufficiently trained. Granted he'd also thought that after two years he'd have gotten Roy to accept and use his methods. He smirked. If Roy had killed someone the League wouldn't have taken him. "They have no right taking him," he muttered as he filled his quiver with arrows. No matter how much he wished they'd kidnapped him Oliver knew Roy had gone willingly. Semi-Willingly. It was bad, yes, but he wasn't worried.

Oliver was certain that he'd sufficiently scared Roy enough that he had a few weeks before he had to worry. Roy would be terrified of the Justice League, especially Batman, and wouldn't trust them to take care of him. "He also knows the price of betrayal," Oliver muttered to himself as he double checked the number of arrows in his quiver. He smiled. Yes, he'd made sure Roy knew the price of giving away sensitive information to their enemies. It would take weeks, maybe even months, for the League to get Roy to trust them. "He won't be gone for weeks," Oliver decided as he stood up. "I'm getting that kid back before he can tell them anything or they can undo two years worth of work." He'd been so close to getting Roy to follow him. So close. He could feel it that night. Forcing Roy's hand like that wasn't the way he'd want to do it, but it had been necessary. The first time was always the hardest. Roy would've been ready to start killing on his own after that, Oliver was sure of it. Then the League had taken him. "I'll find you, Roy," he said as he grabbed his bow. "I'll find you and when I do, the Justice League will never be able to touch you again."

— 2 Days Later —

Dick noticed a change in Roy, but it wasn't necessarily a good one. He was a lot more fidgety. Like he was unsure about something. He'd started relaxing around Bruce, but now he was aloof and tense near him. Dick also noticed Roy always seemed to be somewhere else mentally. When the two of them watched tv or played a game, he'd stare out at the wall; like he was thinking about something important. After two days of this, Dick decided he needed to know what was going on.

"Roy," he said, muting the tv. "Roy."

Roy jumped and blinked. "Yeah, Dick?"

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing-nothing's wrong."

"Something's wrong. You've been acting really strange the last couple of days. Strange for you at least."

"It's nothing."

"Roy, you can tell me. We're friends remember?"

Roy hesitated. Dick was his friend and he was younger. Maybe he could understand Roy's position. "Ok. I-I saw a newspaper the other day." Dick blinked. This wasn't going to be good."

"What happened?"

"I read an article about Ollie and…." Roy hesitated for a second. "He misses me, Dick."

Confusion slowly dawned on Dick's face. "He does?"

Roy nodded earnestly. "He does. I saw it in the paper. He's really worried about me and he wants me to come home."

"Roy-"

"It means he cares about me, Dick! I was wrong about him!"

Dick frowned. 'I think this is why Bruce wanted us to keep him away from the news.' It occurred to him that Oliver was a really good liar. "Roy, you know that's not true."

"It is true! Why doesn't anyone believe me?!"

Dick tried to figure out how to explain it. "Roy, if he cared about you then he wouldn't hit you."

"No, Dick you don't understand!"

"Then explain it."

Roy leaned forward in earnest. "Ollie only hits me when I misbehave."

"Roy-"

"No, listen. He cares about me, so if I just apologize for running away again-"

"Wait, again?!"

"-and I just watch myself and behave then everything will be ok. It'll be fine!"

Dick really wanted to talk about the whole "running way again", but he sensed that was a conversation for another day. "Roy you know that's not true."

"It could be!"

"No, it couldn't. Think about this: even if Oliver stops hitting you, he won't stop killing people."

Now it was Roy's turn to be confused. "So?"

"So, if he keeps killing people, will you just go along with it?"

"No! I-I don't want to kill people!"

"I know that. Oliver isn't going to change. Not with killing people, and not with hurting you."

Roy shook his head weakly. "He cares about me though."

"I'm not saying he doesn't. Maybe he does." Dick highly doubted it though. Bruce had said Oliver only cares about himself. "Whether or not he does though, you going back isn't safe. You want to be safe, right?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah…."

"Then stay here. If Oliver really cares about you, and at some point, the League thinks it's safe for you to go back, then they'll send you back."

Roy perked up. "They will?"

Dick nodded. "Absolutely. I'll even take you back myself."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Ok." Roy sat back and seemed to relax.

Dick sat back as well and muted the tv. He felt perfectly fine making that promise. Bruce said that Oliver would never change his ways, and Dick believed it. He was mean hearted and a bad person. Dick believed people were capable of change, but after all, he'd seen Oliver do he didn't think he was one of them. Going back to Star would never be safe for Roy. He was never going back to Oliver. That much, Dick was sure of.

— 3 Days Later —

Barry had been having a perfectly acceptable day. He'd visited Wally at the Garricks before work, the kid was recovering quickly, and he'd made his way through a record number of cases. All in all, it was a good day. Which is why it went downhill immediately when someone yelled. Panicked yells in a police station were never a good sign. He sighed and put down the chemical he'd been grabbing from the shelf and followed everyone towards the hall. Even from the back of the group he could hear what was being yelled.

"The scanners said it was Green Arrow! Near the Flash museum!" a cop yelled from somewhere in the hall.

"Three civilians injured! EMTs on route!" another shouted back.

The CSI's started whispering amongst themselves. "Green Arrow what's he doing here?"

"Why would he come to Central?"

"Will Flash stop him?"

'Of course Flash will stop him,' Barry thought, silently making his way to the back door. He slipped out while everyone was distracted and ran down the back stairwell. He opened his ring while he ran and quickly changed into his suit. As soon as he was in it he kicked he speed up and ran to the museum. He stopped outside the structure and lightning started sparking around his feet. Civilians were on the ground screaming in pain. Arrows were sticking out of various parts of their bodies. Arms, legs, stomachs, hands, feet. Another arrow shot into his line of vision. Flash saw it in slow motion. It was heading for a kid. He dashed forward and caught the arrow out of the air. He looked back at the kid and his stomach dropped. The kid was crying over his father, who was moaning with an arrow in his leg.

"Flash look out!" the kid yelled.

Flash turned around just in the to catch another arrow. Three more arrows shot towards civilians huddled against a wall. He ran towards them and snatched the arrows away. He barely had time to stop before another arrow shot towards an already injured woman. He could see the ambulances and cursed. 'I can't let the EMT's out here when it's still a war zone.' Flash set the arrows down to free up his hands. He ran up to the roof of the museum to get a better vantage point. Then a second later he had to run back down to keep a paramedic from getting hit with an arrow.

"Flash we need the arrows to stop!" one of them yelled as he stopped two more.

"I know!" Flash replied. He ran across the street and up the next building. "Where are you?" he hissed. He found Green Arrow a block away. Flash wasted no time getting over there and stepping in front of him. "What the hell are you doing in my city?!"

"Target practice," Green Arrow sneered.

"Get out."

"Give Speedy back."

"You're never getting near the kid again!" Flash ran forward before Green Arrow could blink and held the vigilante over the edge of the building. He held the archer by the front of his shirt over the road below. It was a little 'Batman' for his style, but it worked for his current intentions. "Stay out of my city! Stay away from Speedy! Stay! Away! From! Kid! Flash!"

Green Arrow laughed. "You're not going to drop me Flash."

"Try me."

"I know you won't. You're too soft."

'Dammit, he's right!' He really hated the smug look of victory on Green Arrow's face. Flash slowly backed away from the edge and set Green Arrow back on the rooftop. "Get out."

"I'm going. Give your League friends a message from me first. Tell them to give Speedy back. I won't stop until you give me back what's mine." Flash was about to say something when a sudden explosion stopped him. He glanced back and his heart stopped. There was black smoke rising from the Flash museum. Green Arrow chuckled. "Whoops. Looks like I accidentally mixed in one of my new explosive arrows."

Flash looked back, but Green Arrow was gone. He didn't have the time to care though. With speed that was kind of astounding even for him, he ran back to the museum. He stopped in the front the building and dread gripped him. "Oh no…." The wall where he'd placed the bundle of arrows had a huge hole in it. He ran forward and stopped inside. Smoke from the burning exhibits choked him as soon as he stepped inside. "Is anyone in here?!"

"Help!" a small voice yelled. "Help, please!"

Flash ran toward the voice. "Where are you?!"

"Over here!" He followed the voice again. There was a young girl, no older than 7 or 8, trapped under an overturned display case.

"It's ok," Flash assured her as he gently lifted it up. He gathered the girl in his arms as she started coughing. "Hang on." He ran her out to the awaiting paramedics. "Better call more," Barry said as he laid her down on the gurney.

"Already done," the paramedic said quickly as they started working on the girl.

Flash ran back inside. 'Prioritize,' he told himself mentally. He nodded to himself and quickly started putting out the fires. He was pushing his body pretty fast, so it only took a minute to get them under control. Once they were out though and the smoke started to clear he almost fell to his knees in despair. People, the innocent citizens of Central City, were lying injured all over the room. Some of them were moaning, others yelling in pain or crying out for help. So many people were calling his name. Desperately trying to get their hero's attention. 'Prioritize,' he reminded himself sternly. 'Prioritize.' He started with people who'd been knocked unconscious by the explosion. Next were people with injuries that were bleeding. A lot. He ran them out to the EMT's. More ambulances hadn't gotten there yet, so he set them down gently on the ground. He didn't stop running until he'd saved every person from that wing of the museum. Once he finally stopped he stood in front of his statue, watching the scene with wide eyes.

Central City didn't have a lot of big emergencies like this, but when they did, they were more than capable of handling it. There still weren't enough ambulances for all the injured, and oh there was a lot. Luckily the paramedics were keeping cool because they started working on people with what supplies they had. Police officers are helping out, using their jackets or shirts to tie tourniquets or stem bleeding. They comforted small children who were clearly upset by the events, or whose loved ones had been injured. Firefighters were wrapping their jackets around people as make-shift shock blankets or offering them as pillows. They helped treat injuries and were placing their own oxygen masks over people's faces when needed. Flash could only shake his head. So many victims. So many people hurt. Some of them were young, teenagers and children, and it made his blood boil. Green Arrow had purposefully put all their lives in danger. He'd targeted innocent people to try and force Barry's hand in turning over Roy.

'Not gonna happen,' Flash growled silently. 'For every injured person here, Green Arrow will get a super speed punch to the face!'

— 3 Days Later —

"Come on Roy!" Dick smiled, pulling the teenager along.

"Where are we going?" Roy asked, following with little complaint. He was used to Dick simply dragging him around. He preferred to sit in his room where he wasn't at risk of getting in trouble or doing something wrong, but Dick clearly had better ideas. Dick pushed a door open to a room Roy had never been into before, which was honestly most of the Manor. They walked into a gym like space that surprised Roy. It was filled with gymnastics equipment and weights. "Wow."

"I know, right? Here," Dick guided Roy to a bench and made him sit down.

"What're we doing here? I can't really do much." He briefly lifted his injured arm, which was still wrapped in the sling; and his burned hand that was tightly bandaged.

"I know! I wanted to show you my acrobatics!"

"That's right, you're an acrobat."

"Yup! So….you wanna see?"

"Sure. Is it safe though?"

Dick laughed. "Of course it is! I'm a professional."

Roy gestured with his free arm. "Let's see it then."

Dick whopped and did a backflip. He ran over to the high balance beam, figuring he should work is way up to the best stuff. Roy sat back against the wall, making himself comfortable for the show. Dick didn't even stop as he flipped up onto the balance beam, landing perfectly on top. He fell forward into a handstand and smiled at Roy upside down. He fell back, letting his feet touch the beam. His back arched easily, fowling the movement. He pushed himself up, then cartwheeled twice in a row and did another flip. He did a backflip off the other end when he was done.

"That was amazing!"

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Dick replied. He ran to the high bar and quickly dusted chalk onto his hands. He jumped up, pulling himself onto the lower of the uneven bars. He swung his body, gaining momentum. He let go and threw himself onto the taller one. Roy watched in amazement as Dick seamlessly flipped over one, moving his body with an unreal grace. When he stopped for a moment on the higher bar, feet pointed in the air, arms holding his entire body up. He let himself fall with one hand and let go, flipping between them and catching himself on the lower bar. After rolling over each bar several times, he threw himself between them with ease. It made Roy kind of nervous since Dick was like 4 feet tall and the high bar looked like it was a good 10 feet off the ground, 7 feet for the lower one; and they were three feet apart. That didn't hinder Dick though. He just threw himself in-between them and flipped off one bar to land on the other. The look on his face was so happy while he was doing it that Roy found it hard to stay nervous. He found himself relaxing as he watched the younger boy. At the end Dick flipped off, doing a double-backflip. He landed on his feet happily. "Ta-da!"

Roy clapped his hand gently against his injured one. "Cool!"

"Wait till you see this!" Dick was running again. He jumped up and used one of the tall punching posts Bruce used as leverage. He caught himself on the rings, doing a flip while he still had the momentum. The rings were a little hard for him, due to his small size, but he really wanted to show off for Roy. He swung himself upside down, grinning at the inverted world. He spread his arms out, lowering his body down a bit. Unfortunately, his miscalculated the distance and his hands slipped. He quickly flipped around and landed in a crouching position.

"Are you ok?"

Dick popped up. "Fine!" He did a flip and pulled himself up onto the punching post. He stood on top of it and spread his arms. "See?"

"That was still pretty cool."

"Thanks. I'm a little small for the rings."

"You did really good."

"Thanks!" Dick glanced up and an even bigger grin spread across his face. "Now for the grand finale!" He jumped down and ran to the far wall. Roy looked up. He hadn't noticed it before, but hanging from the ceiling was a trapeze. Dick climbed up the ladder rungs on the wall. "You're gonna love this!" He reached the top and quickly undid the rope that held the bar to the wall. Gripping the bar with his hands as he carefully turned around on the top rung, using the arches in his feet to balance himself. Dick took a deep breath and jumped. He swung across the room to the next one and let go. With his arms spread open as he flew, he didn't even hesitate to bring them back down in time to grab the next bar. He swung on that one, then flipped out to the next one. While he was in mid-arc, he carefully moved his body to the other side and swung back out toward the middle. Roy watched him from down below, mesmerized. Dick's earlier feats had been amazing, but this…this was something else altogether. He was speechless. There was something so graceful, so natural about the way Dick moved.

'Didn't he say he grew up in a circus?' Roy thought to himself as Dick easily did a triple flip between two of the bars. 'That would make sense.' It must've been one heck of a circus. He also wondered why Dick had ever left the circus. He looked so happy on the trapeze. Moving with an energy and freedom that Roy had never seen before. Like a little bird, flirting back and forth. It made Roy smile. He didn't know when was the last time he'd felt this. It was a feeling he'd forgotten about. It was joy. Pure joy.

When Dick finally ended the routine he swung himself back to the ladder rungs on the wall. He reattached the first bar to the wall and looked over at Roy. Shock froze him for a second. Roy was smiling! Actually smiling! There was no fear or tension in his body. He was relaxed and calm as he clapped his hands. There was no sound that could reach Dick, but he loved it all the same. He climbed down to the ground and ran to his friend. "Did you like it?"

"I loved it! That was amazing!" Dick sat down and the two of them sat sideways so they could face each other.

Dick grinned. "I'm glad you liked it!"

"It was beautiful! I've never seen anything like it."

"Thanks."

"Where did you learn to do that?" The smile disappeared from Dick's face. Sudden sadness filled his features. Roy's face morphed from happiness to confusion in only a second. "What's wrong?"

Dick looked down, playing idly with his bare feet. He sniffed. "My-my parents taught me."

"Oh?" Then he remembered that Dick had also said his parents were dead. "Oh." Dick could only nod. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Its ok," Dick assured him, looking up again. "You couldn't have known."

Roy bit his lip. "How-how long ago did….did they?"

"Almost two years."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"We were performing. When it….happened."

"You were?"

Dick nodded. "We were the Flying Graysons. My family and I. My-my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and cousin. They had started the last routine of the night. We always performed without a net. Always. That night though….the wires- They snapped and my family….." He bit his lip and inhaled deeply through his nose. "They fell."

"You-you saw this?"

"I was on the platform. I couldn't-couldn't save them." Roy opened his mouth, but words didn't come out. That was terrible. Dick was such a kind and happy person. How could something so terrible have happened to him?! "The wires had been tampered with. By a mob boss called Tony Zucco."

"He killed your parents?"

"Yes. He murdered them." Dick took another deep breath and squeezed his feet.

"What happened to him? Tony Zucco."

"Batman and I caught him. We made sure he went to jail."

"That's….good."

"Yeah," Dick nodded. He looked at Roy again. "It is. I'm glad I was at least able to get justice for them."

"Me too. That's good."

"Yeah." Dick sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring you down."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. You were so happy before."

"It's fine Dick. Really." Roy reached out and put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "It's ok."

Dick sighed. "Thanks." He stood up. "Come on." He pulled Roy to his feet. "We should go. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Ok." Roy let Dick pull him out, but he couldn't help but glance back at the trapeze as he led from the room.

— 2 Days Later —

The sudden flurry of movement in the newsroom surprised Clark when he came back from lunch. He made his way over to Lois, brushing past people who were moving with excitement and energy that they usually didn't have at the Planet. Granted it was busy, as most newspapers were, but this much activity was unusual for just after 12:30 on a Wednesday.

"What's going on?" Clark asked Lois.

"What're you doing here?" she hissed.

Clark frowned in confusion. "I work here? At least….I hope I still do."

Lois leveled him with a serious glare. "Green Arrow was seen in the city. Firing arrows at people!"

"Where?" Clark growled. After Barry's report about what had happened in Central, everyone had been on guard for Green Arrow.

"Lex Corp."

Clark rolled his eyes. Yeah, the day wasn't complete unless Luthor was somehow involved in making his life miserable. "Of course."

"What're you waiting for Farm Boy?" Lois smacked his arm. "Go! I'll cover for you!"

"Right." Clark made his way through the hectic room back to the strips. He moved efficiently, yet discreetly down the stairs. When he made it outside he walked quickly to the back of the building. He started running once he was back there and ripped his shirt open. Within seconds he was in the air, flying towards Lex Corp. 'He's got a funny way of keeping a secret identity,' Superman thought as he flew. 'Attacking someone who he's in town doing business with.' He could hear the screams before he even reached the building. The brought him down closer to the buildings and he saw people laying on the street, yelling in pain. There were arrows sticking out of them like pin cushions. He did a quick sweep of the building. On nearly every floor he could see people writhing in pain. 'Damn you Oliver Queen!'

The police and ambulances were already speeding down the street. Superman wanted to help the injured, he really, really did, but he had to find Green Arrow. He did another sweep of the building and found him. He was on the top floor….Luthor's office. 'Fantastic.' He flew up towards the top of the building and through the open glass doors. He landed in the office to find Luthor against the wall. He hands were up by his head and Green Arrow had two arrows pointed at him.

Lex Luthor saw Superman and for once he was actually relieved to see him. "Superman. About time you showed up."

"Good afternoon to you too Luthor," Superman replied. He turned his sharp graze to the emerald archer. "Green Arrow. What're you doing here?"

"Following up on my threats," Green Arrow answered. He fired the arrows and the hit the wall next to Luthor's head. Superman was surprised by the speed that he drew another arrow. "It's very important to follow through. You understand, right?" This question was directed at Luthor.

The businessman gave the vigilante a look of disgust. "Indeed. What threat would this be and why does it include me?"

"The threat," he fired another arrow, this time next to Luthor's throat. "that if the Justice League didn't give me back my partner, I was going to wreck havoc in their cities." He shot another arrow, this time next to the other side of Luthor's head. "As for why this involves you…" He shrugged and fired again. Luther flinched every time the bow twanged! "I had to get Superman's attention somehow."

"You have it," Superman said with a glower. "Let him go."

Green Arrow snorted. "Why?" He fired again. "How about we make a trade?" Superman suddenly moved in front of Luthor and the next arrow bounced off his chest.

"This isn't a game Green Arrow! Get out of my city!"

Green Arrow lowered his bow and glared right back. "Do I look like I'm playing Boy Scout?" Superman made a mental note to tell Batman to never call him that again. "Give him back!"

"No! We'll never let you near Speedy again!"

"You have no right to keep him from me!"

"Get out of Metropolis!"

"Make me."

'Don't tempt me.' Superman flew forward and picked Green Arrow up with one hand. He held the archer up by his neck effortlessly. "Stay. Out." He threw the vigilante across the room. Not hard enough to kill him, just hard enough to make sure he knew what a terrible idea this was. Green Arrow picked himself up and glared daggers at the Man of Steel.

"I won't stop until you give him back!" He turned and jumped out the window.

Superman turned around to face Luthor. "Are you ok?" he asked. With Green Arrow, you never really knew what he could've possibly done.

"I am," Luthor said, stepping away from the wall. He brushed his suit off. "Although I don't appreciate being shot at because you and your righteous friends decided to kidnap an archer."

"We didn't kidnap anyone. We rescued Speedy."

"From what?"

"That madman. Green Arrow was abusing him."

"Was he?" Luthor's lip curled in disgust. Superman was mildly surprised.

'Good to know there are some things in this world beneath him.' Although this also meant Oliver Queen was even with Lex Luthor on Superman's enemy list. "The police should be up here soon." He turned and flew back out the door. Once he was certain that Green Arrow was gone, or at least not attacking the citizens of Metropolis, he'd aid the first responders in helping the injured. 'He wasn't joking,' Superman thought as the screams of his people drifted up to his ears. Loud and clear. He heart clenched. 'That archer is playing with fire and unlike me, he's not fireproof.'

—2 Days Later —

It wasn't as scary for Roy to meet with Leslie the second time as it had been the first time. He knew the kind doctor was only there to make sure he was healthy. She wasn't threatening either. Which was why he went downstairs to the Bat cave with a lot less apprehension than he had the last time.

"How've you been Roy?" Leslie asked him as he sat on the examination table.

"I'm good."

"You look better." She examined his bruises, gently probing some of them. The handprints on his neck were still present, but they weren't as dark and intimidating looking. The smaller bruises were turning green and yellow with healing. "Let's have a look at that arm." She gently helped him take the sling off. "Can you take your shirt off?" Roy nodded and slowly took it off. Leslie noted with satisfaction that he didn't grimace or hiss in pain when he did. She gently lifted his arm and placed her hand firmly against the joint. "Had you been taking your medicine?" she asked as she felt it move.

Roy nodded. "Yes, Dr. Leslie."

"Good." She let go and stepped back. "That joint looks good. I think we can keep the sling off, but I want you to use it if that shoulder starts to cause you extensive pain. Otherwise, don't over exert yourself. No archery for at least another week. Understood?"

"Yes, Dr. Leslie."

Leslie moved to his back. She still had a moment where her lips thinned at the scars, but the wounds looked better. "These are all looking very nice." She moved back to his front and lifted the bandaged hand. "Have you been using the ointment?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, Alfred applies it once a day and changes the bandages."

"Good." She unwrapped then hand and examined it closely. "The blisters have healed very well. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right about the scarring." She started re-wrapping it. "I'm very sorry Roy. The skin on your hand is always going to be red like this."

"That's fine."

"It's really not." Roy took his hand back and put his shirt back on. "I'm going to give Bruce and Alfred some exercises that will help with mobility in your hand."

"Mobility?"

"Scars can sometimes cause mobility issues because of the way they heal, but with simple exercises, we can make sure it doesn't decrease the mobility of your hand."

"Thanks… Is-is that it?"

"Looks like it." She sat down in a chair. "How've you been?"

"…..uh…..what?"

"How have you been coping with living in Gotham?"

"I-I'm good." His hearted started pounding.

"Roy, you can relax sweetie. I'm not integrating you. I'm just asking."

"It's been good. Like I said."

"Are you and Dick getting along?"

"Yeah….. He's…..he's cool."

"What about you and Bruce?" Roy froze. Why was she asking? Was there a reason she should be asking about Bruce?

"What-what do you mean?"

"Have you been getting along with Bruce?"

Roy nodded earnestly. "Yes. Yes of course."

"Good, I'm glad." She stood up. "I know Bruce seems like a scary man, but he's really only scary to those who hurt his someone he loves. Like Dick."

"He-he is?"

"Yes, so you have nothing to worry about."

"O-ok." Roy hopped down from his seat.

"I want you to continue to eat. Alfred will make sure you do."

Roy nodded. "Yes, Dr. Leslie."

"Good." Leslie smiled at him. "You're safe in Gotham Roy. Which isn't something I get to say often. I don't know a lot about this….superhero world everyone is involved in, but I do know Bruce would never let someone hurt you. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Come on, let's go tell Bruce that you're on your way to being perfectly healthy and injury-free."

'Huh,' Roy thought as he followed her back upstairs. 'Perfectly healthy and injury free. There's something I haven't experienced in a while.'

'If you can manage to not be a total screw up,' a voice in his head reminded him.

'Right. If I can manage to not be a total screw up.'

—3 Days Later —

Green Lantern ground his teeth together as he flew through the buildings. "Green Arrow's not hurting people in my city," he muttered. "Not on my watch." He heard screaming a couple blocks away and cursed. He flew faster. When he was over a public park, the biggest one in Coast City, he barely had time to register the injured before he blocked an arrow from hitting a woman with a baby. He created a net with his ring and caught the arrow before it could hit. He flew closer to the ground, trying to catch arrows before they could hurt people. "Hide!" he shouted as he flew. "Hide!" He would tell them to run, but he felt like Green Arrow would just take that as a challenge. A boy scrabbled under playground equipment just as Green Lantern caught another arrow. The arrows were falling faster than he could catch them though.

A man was hit in the leg. A woman hit in the arm. A child hit in the shoulder. Green Lantern's heart clenched at every scream of pain. He threw the arrows into a pond and flew up. "Green Arrow!" he shouted. He sent a quick blast of light with his ring to knock an arrow off course. "Green Arrow!" He raised his ring hand and did a quick scan. "Found him." He flew down at tree where Green Arrow was hiding. He crashed through the branches, bringing the vigilante down the ground. As soon as they were on the ground he used his ring to wrap Green Arrow in green light. "Go! Get out of here!" he yelled to the civilians. "Go!"

Green Arrow glared at him while everyone ran. "Well done," he said sarcastically. "You caught me."

"You're gonna wish I hadn't!" He punched the immobilized archer, sending his head snapping to the side. "How do you like someone stronger beating on you?!"

"You self-righteous idiots don't know what're you're talking about!"

"You hurt that kid!" Green Lantern flew up, bringing Green Arrow with him. He changed the construct so that it was a giant hand holding Green Arrow; keeping his arms pinned to his sides. "You hurt him and you scarred him." He bashed Green Arrow into the ground. "You hurt Flash's kid!" Another hit into the ground. "You hurt Flash's people!" Another hit. "You hurt Superman's people!" Another hit. "You hurt my people!" He threw the vigilante into the playground equipment. Green Arrow groaned but made a quick recovery. He fired off three arrows at Green Lantern, who made a shield to protect himself.

"You're a real pain, you know that Green Lantern?!" He dove to the side to avoid a glowing fist that tried to punch him. "Give Speedy back!"

"How many times do we have to tell you, you're not going near that kid!"

"You think I'm going to give up?!" He flipped back to avoid a rope that tried to wrap around his legs.

"I'd hope you'd come to your senses!" Green Lantern made a giant boxing glove with his ring and punched Green Arrow. The archer flew back several feet and hit the ground hard. He dodged to the side as the boxing glove attempted to literally pound him into the ground. "You can't win against the Justice League!"

"Looks like I already am!" Green Arrow fired off five arrows in the span of 30 seconds. Green Lantern didn't bother with a shield since it would just slow him down. He dodged the arrows with ease and tried to punch Green Arrow. The vigilante dodged him though and hit him in the head with his bow.

"Hey!"

"I warned you I wouldn't stop until give Speedy back!"

"Why do you want him?!" Green Lantern created a net and attempted to throw it over Green Arrow. Screw the League's regulations! This guy needed to be taken off the streets. "All you do is hurt him!"

"I do what I do to help him!" He fired off several more arrows to redirect Green Lantern's attention.

"You hurt him!"

"I'm toughening him up!"

Green Lantern figured if he could've redirected all the rage he felt in that one instant from anger into willpower, he would've been the most powerful Green Lantern in history. It probably would've overloaded his ring. "Toughening him up?! Is that what you call beating a teenager senseless?!" He started blasting green light at the archer, hoping to hit him.

Green Arrow rolled his eyes. "I don't answer to you!" He glanced to the left and smiled. "I'll be taking my leave now. I just came to prove my point."

"I'm not letting you go! You're injured dozens of people in two majors, now three, majors cities!"

"You want to stop me? Go ahead." He fired the arrow. "Just don't expect any parades."

"What?" Green Lantern quickly followed the trajectory of the arrow. He cursed and sped toward it. Some of the inured hadn't been able to make it too far and had taken refuge behind an overturned picnic table. He flew out in front of the table and quickly put a bubble around himself and the injured. He felt the energy of the blast ripple through his construct as the arrow exploded against it. He tightened his ring hand and his mental strength increased. He made the construct disappear. Green Arrow was gone. 'Coward.'

"Green Lantern?" He turned around. One of the injured, a teenager, had stuck his head out from behind their hiding place. "Is it safe?"

"Yes." Green Lantern flew over the barricade and landed in front of them. He made a large disc with his ring. "Everyone get on, I'll transport you to the hospital."

— 3 Days Later —

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Roy asked as Dick dragged him along.

"Nope!" Dick replied cheerily. "Step up. Up. Up. Up. Up-"

"Can I at least open them so I'm not going up the stairs blind?"

"Can't take that chance. Keeping stepping up."

"Why won't you tell me whats going on?"

"Cause if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise!" Roy really didn't like surprises. Surprises with Oliver were either A: I smacked you around for no reason so here's a gift or B: I have a training exercise/bonding game that will either terrify or exhaust you. Although it was highly unlikely it was either of those.

"Can you at least give me a hint?"

"Hm…you're going to love it!"

"Not what I had in mind." They came to a sudden stop. "Can I open them now?"

"Wait a sec." He heard a door open. "Is it ready?" Whatever "it" was must've been ready because Dick whooped and dragged him inside….whatever room they were in. "Ok, open!"

Roy opened his eyes. He blinked and his mouth opened in shock. "Whoa…." He was in his bedroom, but it looked…..different. The plain bedspread had been replaced with red ones. The once empty shelves now contained books, music, video games, and action figures. There was also a tv, a DVD player, and a game console. The desk now had official supplies organized on it neatly. Along one wall was a rack that contained two bows, one compound and one recurve, along with two quivers full of arrows. He blinked. It hadn't looked like this when Dick had insisted they spend the day playing video games in the den.

Dick stood next to Bruce, beaming radiantly. "Do you like it?"

"It's….it's great."

"We weren't sure exactly what you liked," Bruce admitted awkwardly. "So we had to guess."

"Luckily Master Dick and his amazing social skills were able to get us the help we needed," Alfred said.

"Don't forget my awesome powers of deduction!" Dick said.

"Of course young sir, how could I forget?"

"Do you like it?" Bruce asked hesitantly. Roy had still been refusing to tell Bruce about anything he wanted, so he'd decided to take a chance and just fill the boy's room.

"I do."

"If you don't Roy it's fine."

"No! I like it!" He actually kind of did. Although he'd swore to himself he wasn't going to fall for any tricks this time, he found it was hard not to like his room. He wandered over to the bows.

"I figured you would like those two. Do you?" Bruce was afraid for a moment that he'd gotten the wrong kind of bows. He was a filly skilled archer, but he was far from an expert like Roy.

"They look pretty good." Roy picked up the compound and gave it a test draw. "The draw weight is a little low, but I can fix that easily." He put it back and picked up the other bow. "I've never shot a compound before."

"You haven't?"

"No. Only longbow or recurve."

"What about a crossbow?" Dick asked.

"Uh…no."

"I don't think he needs one," Bruce said to his younger ward.

"Now you can practice your archery again! And you can show us how good you are!"

Roy nodded as he put the bow back. "Sure Dick."

"I'm glad you like it," Bruce said, relieved. He didn't miss the way Roy was tense and kept glancing around. He frowned. "Dick, why don't you and Alfred go get the cookies?"

"Indoor speed please Master Dick," Alfred said as he followed Dick out. "We live in a civilized manner."

"Roy," Bruce began after they left.

Roy jumped and his heart started pounding. 'Oh god, this is it.' "I-I like it. Really. I do. It's great."

"Roy, I'm not mad at you." He stayed where he was, knowing trying to walk towards Roy would only result in him moving backward. "I just….I just want to understand."

"I-I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful. I'm really not! I swear!"

Bruce frowned, which only frightened Roy more. "What-" He stopped and suddenly remembered one of the videos he had. The one where Oliver had whipped Roy with his belt. Afterwards, he'd called the teen an "ungrateful bastard". It took every ounce of self-control Bruce had not to curl his hands into fists. 'That probably wasn't the first time he heard that from Oliver.' He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Roy, I'm not mad. I don't think you're ungrateful. You just look tense and I was worried about you."

"I-I'm ok. Really."

"Ok."

Roy looked around again. The room really was nice. "Th-thank you….Bruce."

Bruce blinked. Three and a half weeks. It'd taken three and a half weeks for Roy to use his name. "You're welcome."

— 2 Days Later —

Out of all the places he could've picked next, Green Arrow chose Coast City because the glow stick was easier to fight than anyone else. He'd yet to check Gotham, but he loathed going there if only because he enjoyed being able to move. Stealthily, he followed Green Lantern as he flew over the city. Wherever he was going, there was bound to be civilians. He ended up at docks. Green Arrow silently crept onto a warehouse roof and laid down on it. A smile crept across his face. Aquaman was talking to Green Lantern; Aqualad standing just behind his mentor.

Down on the ground, Green Lantern and Aquaman finished making their plan of attack.

"Black Manta will undoubtedly be prepared for us," Aquaman warned his teammate.

"We'll be ready too," Green Lantern assured him, raising his glowing ring.

Aquaman nodded, then turned to Aqualad. "Aqualad, I need you to stay out here. If any henchmen try to get away, you stop them."

"Yes my king," Aqualad replied, bowing his head. "I shall do my best."

"That's all I ask." He just hoped everything went exactly according to plan, so Black Manta need never know Aqualad was here. He turned back to Green Lantern. "Let's go." Green Lantern flew into the air and Aquaman followed at a run on foot.

Aqualad pulled out his water bearers and used the ocean next to himself to make two swords. He looked around, alert and ready to stop anyone trying to make a getaway. Which is why he was caught off guard by the arrow that came out of nowhere. he quickly dodged it, but it managed to scratch the side of his face. Green Arrow suddenly jumped down ten feet in front of him. Aqualad raised his weapons so that his back was to the ocean. "You are Green Arrow," he said, eyes narrowing.

Green Arrow smirked. "The one and only. I don't think we've met before."

"I am Aqualad."

"Aqualad."

"You should not be here."

"Oh?"

"This is Green Lantern's city. You are not supposed to be here. The members of the Justice League do not want you in their cities."

Green Arrow rolled his eyes. Damn, this kid was naive. It almost wasn't fair. He sighed as he nocked two arrows to his bowstring. "Just wow kid."

Aqualad took a ready stance. "Aquaman and Green Lantern-"

"Aren't here. So just remember that what happens next is their fault really, for leaving you alone." Green Arrow shot his arrows. Aqualad dodged them, but the archer reloaded before he could react. An arrow hit him in the stomach.

"Ah!" He staggered back, dropping one of his weapons to put his hand on the wound. Another arrow his leg and he went down on one knee. "You….do not fight honorably."

"Honor? There's no such thing as honor kid." Green Arrow punched him in the face, sending the young Atlantean onto the ground. Aqualad summoned a whip with the water bearer he still had. He flicked it at Green Arrow. It hit him in the chest but only made him move back a couple of feet. "I'd kick you into the water-" He shot the young hero, hitting him in the stomach again. "but, I think that might actually help you. You being a freak fish hybrid or whatever you are." He kicked Aqualad in the face and he grunted.

"You….are no hero…." Aqualad managed.

"You don't know me."

"I know what you have done. You hurt Speedy. You hurt Kid Flash." Aqualad rolled over onto his stomach as Green Arrow walked away. He gripped his water bearer tight as he pushed himself back his feet. "You are a monster."

Green Arrow's eyes narrowed and he spun around. "That's what I hate about your mentor and his precious League." He nocked another arrow. This time he hit Aqualad in the webbed hand; pinning his water bearer to it. Aqualad screamed. "You all think you're so much better than me!" He pulled out another arrow and nocked it. "I will get Speedy back and I will turn him into the vigilante I know he can be!" He fired the arrow and it hit Kaldur in the chest. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it was an exploding arrowhead. The explosion knocked Aqualad unconscious and threw him back several yards. Green Arrow moved to walk over to him, only to find himself suddenly encased in a green bubble. He turned around and glared at Green Lantern. "Let me go!"

"You think I'm letting you go after you just tried to murder Aqualad?!" Green Lantern demanded.

"Well you could hold me here, or you can go help your friend with his dying fish boy."

Green Lantern looked past him. His heart dropped. Aquaman was kneeling beside Aqualad, obviously distraught. He snarled and released the archer. "Get out." He didn't bother looking at Green Arrow again, and instead of flew over to Aquaman, who was trying to wake up Aqualad.

"Kaldur'ahm," he said, sound more panicked than Green Lantern and ever heard him. "Kaldur'ahm can you hear me?" There were four arrows in the young hero, and the wounds they'd created were bleeding. A lot.

"Aquaman we need to get him to the Watchtower-"

"No!"

"Aquaman-"

"He needs the healers in the city!"

Green Lantern nodded. They didn't have time to argue. "We should take the zeta. Swimming would take too long and could jostle him too much."

"Agreed." They stood up and Aquaman carefully picked up his injured sidekick. "Hang on Kaldur'ahm."

"Allow me." Green Lantern carefully wrapped Aqualad in a construct to keep him immobilized.

"Be careful with him!" Aquaman snapped as Green Lantern flew a couple of feet into the air to test it.

"I am." He nodded to himself in satisfaction. "Let's go." Green Lantern flew to the zeta while Aquaman followed on the ground with ease. Worry and guilt coursed through him as he followed his glowing friend through the city.

'I shouldn't have left him out there alone,' he thought miserably as he ran. 'I shouldn't have left him alone.' They made it to the zeta in record time and Green Lantern took only a few seconds to get himself through. Aquaman was right behind him. As soon as he swam into the waters he found Green Lantern waiting for him, unclear of where to go. In the water, the green light surrounding him glowed strangely in the water. "You two!" Aquaman shouted, startling two students from the conservatory. "Get the Queen! Tell her I need her and our best healers in the infirmary! Now!"

"Yes your majesty!" the said in unison, before swimming away.

"This way." Aquaman led Green Lantern through the city. The palace infirmary was the best place to treat Kaldur'ahm. Once they reached it Green Lantern gently placed Aqualad on the stone table.

"Doesn't look comfortable."

"It's a healing table. They'll move him to a bed once he's stable."

Queen Mera came in, followed by two men. She gasped. "My goodness! What happened?!"

"He was attacked by the Green Arrow." He practically spat the archer's name.

"Stand aside, let us work." Aquaman and Green Lantern moved back as the Queen and two men stood on either side of Aqualad.

"Aquaman," Green Lantern said, looking away as they started casting spells over their injured teen. "I'm sorry but I have to go back to Coast City and make sure Green Arrow is gone."

"Of course," Aquaman nodded.

"Do you want me to tell Supes and Bats?"

"No, I shall do it myself."

"Ok. Let me know when he's ok."

"I will." Green Lantern left and Aquaman looked back at Aqualad. No one was better at magic than Mera, and he knew the other two were the best healers in the city. Healing spells couldn't fix everything though, and the younger hero was in for a lot of pain when he woke up. Aquaman decided to stand outside so he wouldn't get in their way. He leaned against the wall. 'I should've left him home,' he thought miserably. When Black Manta had escaped into the sea, he'd been frustrated, yet grateful he hadn't seen Kaldur'ahm. Then he'd heard the boy's screams of pain. The sound had made his heart stop. Then to see that arrow explode against him…. He sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "Please, let the boy be ok. Let him live." It was hours before Mera came out. "Well?!"

She smiled at him, tiredly. "He will be fine."

"You are sure?"

"Yes, I am. We have done everything we can for him. He is in pain, but he's going to live. Luckily."

"Luckily?"

Mera nodded gravely. "His injuries were quite severe, Arthur. He is very lucky you got him here so fast." Aquaman nodded, making a note to thank Green Lantern. "He's awake and asking to see you."

"He is?"

"Yes." She put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Go to him. You're his mentor. He needs you."

Aquaman nodded and swam into the infirmary. He found the healers settling Aqualad down in one of the recovery rooms. He stayed near the door while they did final checks on him. They turned around to leave and bowed to him. "Your majesty," they both said.

"I wish to speak with him alone please," Aquaman said.

"Of course Sire," one of them said. They left the mentor and protege alone.

Aquaman swam closer so he was beside Aqualad. He looked so tired and young. He couldn't discern any injuries due to the blanket. Aqualad tried to sit up and raise his fist to his chest but Aquaman quickly intervened. "None of that," he said, gently guiding his protege to lay back down. "You need to rest. How do you feel Kaldur'ahm?"

Kaldur grimaced. "I'm in some pain."

"Did you tell the healers?"

"Yes, my king."

"Good."

"My king….I-I am sorry."

Aquaman blinked in confusion. "For what?"

"I failed you today."

Sadness filled the Atlantean king. "You did not fail me."

"I couldn't fight Green Arrow though-"

"No, this wasn't your fault. It was mine."

"My king-"

Aquaman shook his head. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone. You have only fought on the surface a few times and I knew Green Arrow was on the loose with a vendetta against us. It was foolish of me to leave you there alone, and for that, I'm deeply sorry Kaldur'ahm."

Kaldur frowned in confusion. "You are the king. You shouldn't apologize to me."

"A good king knows when he is in the wrong. As does a good man." And at the moment he didn't really feel like either of those things. "I'm sorry, son. This shouldn't have happened."

"Green Arrow is very skilled."

"He is, which is all the more reason I shouldn't have left you alone. The League is going to put a stop to Green Arrow though. I can promise you that."

"Next time I will be prepared."

"There won't be a next time." If Green Arrow came within 10 feet of Aqualad again, Aquaman planned to drag him to the deepest depths of the ocean. "I'll go. You need to rest. I'm ordering you off duty until your injuries are healed."

"Yes, my king." Kaldur yawned and his eyelids drifted shut.

"Sleep well Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman said, briefly placing his hand on the boy's head. He quietly turned and swam out. "I shall not let this happen to you again. On my honor as king, you have my word."


	25. The League is Cornered

A/N: Update time! So I had a couple of readers on AO3 who were wondering why the League hasn't turned Oliver over to the authorities yet. So, if there was anyone over here wondering that, this chapter will address it. Also, I'm hoping to post some one-shots today to get them off my laptop. Be on the lookout for those if you want.

Sometimes sitting next to Batman in League meetings wasn't a good idea, or even safe. Sitting next to him when he had to grudgingly admit that Green Arrow had them cornered, that was just plain suicidal.

"I do not understand," Martian Manhunter said. "You have told me what Oliver Queen has done is illegal…."

"It is," Flash assured him. "Very illegal."

"Yet we are not turning him over to the authorities?"

"We're not saying that-" Superman tried to intervene, but Green Lantern cut him off.

"Really?!" he demanded. "It sure sounds like you're saying that."

"Explain exactly what happened," Wonder Woman instructed.

Superman sighed. "Flash, Batman, and I went to Star last night according to the plan…."

— Flashback —

"This place gives me the creeps," Flash muttered, looking down at the dark alley below them. "What if there's a murderer or something down there?"

Batman didn't know if it would be more productive to remind Flash he had super speed, or that they were currently on the top of a building, and anyone in an alley wasn't a threat to them. He decided to go with neither. "Get away from the ledge and focus," he growled.

"When Green Arrow shows up, can I push him off?" That was unusually aggressive, coming from the speedster, but given how the last couple of weeks had been going for them, it was understandable.

"No. We aren't here to fight him, only warn him."

"I don't see why we just don't give the video to the cops. Cut out the middleman! It's all the evidence they need!"

"If we do that, our cities are at risk until they arrest him. Trust me when I say that someone with his money can escape police capture for a long time."

Flash huffed. "Yeah. I know." There was a hint of bitterness to his voice. It was easy to forget he worked within the justice system every day.

Superman landed on the other side of Batman. "I saw him following me, so he should be here soon," he informed them.

"Good. The sooner we can get out of this place, the better," It was Wally's first night home and he didn't want to spend it with an arrow between his shoulder blades.

"Remember," Batman growled. "We don't breathe a word about where Roy is or how he's doing."

"Or kill Green Arrow," Superman reminded them. "We're all aggravated-"

"Understatement," Flash quipped.

"We still need to be the heroes the world knows us to be."

"We'd doing the world a favor by getting rid of him," Batman said quietly.

"I know but-" He stopped and honed in on a sound. "He's coming."

Batman and Flash froze and waited. A minute later Green Arrow pulled himself onto the roof of the building. His eyes narrowed. "What're you goodie-goodies doing here?"

"We're not here to fight. We just want to talk."

"Unless you're here giving me back my kid, I don't care."

"You should," Batman growled. He took a flash drive from his utility belt and tossed it to Green Arrow.

"What's this? A ransom video?"

"That contains photographic and video evidence of your abuse on Roy."

"I didn't-"

"Don't bother trying to lie," Flash said coldly. "The evidence is all there. We know what you did."

"Whatever that little brat told you-" He smirked when Superman and Flash had to grab Batman and drag him back. "Sore spot Bats?"

"Calm down," Superman hissed in Batman's ear. The Dark Knight ignored him, choosing instead to bat glare at Green Arrow.

"One of those videos clearly shows you whipping him with your belt," he growled. "Another shows you beating him senseless, possibly almost killing him." His fists tightened with every word. "The pictures show cuts, welts, scars, and bruises. Lots of bruises. Like the hand shaped ones that cover his neck. Almost like someone had strangled him. Often."

Green Arrow came to a realization, though not the one the League was looking for. "You spied on me?!"

Batman nodded. They'd known he'd figured this out when they presented him with the evidence. "Yes, we did. The pictures were taken in our headquarters the night Roy left."

"You've been watching me."

"We're giving you a choice. Either stop coming into our cities, leave our kids alone, and leave Roy alone, or we'll take this to the police."

"Checkmate," Flash smiled. They had him. Green Arrow was cooked. Which was why he was so confused when Green Arrow started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Superman demanded.

"it's funny that you think this will stop me," he chuckled.

"So you want to get arrested?" Flash asked, feeling like they were missing something really important.

"Go ahead."

"…..What?!"

"Go ahead. Tell the police."

"We'll tell them you're Green Arrow too," Batman said, hiding all the confusion he felt.

"Do it. Get me arrested. Tell them I'm Green Arrow. Then I'll tell them who Speedy is."

Superman was so shocked he momentarily loosened his grip on Batman. "You wouldn't."

"I would. I'll tell them who he is, the Justice League is harboring him, that he was my accomplice in all of this, and he was directly responsible for the murder of at least one person."

"He didn't kill that man!" Batman spat. Superman and Flash grabbed him and dragged him back again.

"Tell that to the police. If you turn me in that is." He dropped the flash drive on the ground and crushed it under his foot. "He's my partner. If I go down, I'll take him with me."

Superman felt a sudden tug at his hands and he momentarily forgot he had super strength. Unfortunately, Flash didn't have any super strength, so the arm he was holding managed to make it a few feet forward. "No!" Superman hissed.

Green Arrow smiled. "Unless you're going to the police, get out of my city."

"This isn't over," Flash warned him.

"No," Green Arrow agreed. "It's not." He watched as Superman more or less dragged Batman away. "That's a cute kid you got there Batman. Better be careful. He's so small, you might lose him."

"No!" Superman hissed as Batman tried to jerk out of his grip again. They needed to get the Dark Knight away from Green Arrow before he killed him…..

— End Flashback —

No one in the Justice League said a word. They all needed a minute to process that a vigilante, a grown man, had admitted he was willing to take down a child with him.

"Is there a chance he's bluffing?" Green Lantern asked hopefully.

"When has he ever been bluffing?!" Flash demanded.

"Let's think about this logically. If Green Arrow does reveal Speedy's identity to the police, would they pursue charges?"

"Yes," Batman and Flash answered almost immediately.

"How do you know?" Wonder Woman asked.

Flash sighed. "They would have to arrest him because he broke the law."

"Do you think he'd go to jail?"

Again, Flash sighed, mind running ahead to figure out how to explain this. "The Star City police would probably want to charge him. You have to see this from their perspective. This is Green Arrow. He's a dangerous vigilante who's been terrorizing their city for years, unchecked. I don't know if they think Speedy's his accomplice or not, but some of them might."

"Roy's only 14-"

"Doesn't matter. If anything that makes it worse. 14 is old enough to be charged as an adult in California."

"What does that mean?" Aquaman asked, sensing this wasn't good.

"Thankfully, it means they can't sentence him to death, unlike Oliver, because he's still under-aged. It does mean that they can sentence him to life without the possibility of parole." Silence.

"Life?" Green Lantern asked quietly. "Life- He's 14!"

"I know."

"Oliver was manipulating and abusing him," Superman interjected. "Wouldn't that be enough to convince the court he wasn't participating willingly?"

"Maybe. It doesn't help that Roy became a vigilante willingly."

"He didn't kill anyone though."

"It's Oliver's word against his. It doesn't help that the Star City Police are desperate. They want Green Arrow off the streets and to prove that they're running the show and not the madman with the bow. If that means one kid who helped, no matter how willingly, goes to prison, they'd do what they had to to get convictions and punishment. Plus, Green Arrow is very unpopular with the people in Star."

"So?" Wonder Woman asked.

"What do you think a jury would do? I mean…technically, they'd have to find jurors who wouldn't be biased, but considering how many people Green Arrow has killed over the years….that'd be very hard to do. Plus, in my experience, juries are unpredictable. You never know what they'll do."

"That's your final opinion?"

"…..yes. If the police find out Roy is Speedy that poor kid's going to prison for it."

"So, if we do turn Green Arrow over to the authorities, we're sentencing Roy to being a fugitive for the rest of his life?" Aquaman asked.

Flash nodded. "Yes, but prison wouldn't be much better. He's a 14-year-old vigilante. Maybe he could go to juvie for 4 years but after that... He'd last 6 months in prison, at most; unless they put him solitary confinement for the rest of his life."

"Roy's identity being known also brings more risks than prison," Superman said. "Think of how many people probably want revenge on Green Arrow because he killed their loved ones. It would never be safe for Roy to show his face in public again. Even if we could protect him from the police, his life would be in constant danger, even more than it is now, if people find out he's Speedy."

"Don't forget the pressure we'd be getting from the government for harboring a known fugitive," Wonder Woman added.

"Those are our options?" Martian Manhunter asked. No one wanted to believe they were being backed into this corner. "We let Green Arrow get away with his crimes, or condemn Roy to be punished for something he has not done?"

"Yes."

"Then we let Green Arrow go," Batman said quietly. Everyone slowly turned to look at him. They all stared in confusion. Had Batman, the Batman, just advocated for letting a criminal go free?

"You want to let him go?" Green Lantern asked carefully.

"Yes."

Aquaman gave him a suspicious look. "Really?"

Batman glared at him. "Are you telling me the rest of you would honestly vote to make Roy a fugitive?" No one said anything. "Didn't think so." He stood up. "We'll find another way to get Queen." He left the room, leaving his teammates quiet and confused behind him.

"I'll talk to him," Superman said standing. He left the meeting room and went looking for Batman. Due in part to x-ray vision, it didn't take that long. He found the Dark Knight in one of the monitoring rooms. "You're taking this we have to let a criminal get away with his crimes thing well."

"Do you need something?"

"I would've thought you'd be going back to Gotham."

"I had to check on something."

"Sure." Superman quietly closed and locked the door. Batman spun around, glaring at him.

"What're you doing Clark? Open the door."

"I just did that so we can talk freely."

"We have nothing to discuss." Superman stopped him from trying to leave. "You're lucky I don't have kryptonite."

"Bruce." Batman continued to glare. "You gave up back there awfully easy."

"What do you want Clark?!"

Superman took a step back. "Just tell me why you gave up easily."

"What did you want me to do? Say we should send Roy to prison? Should I condemn an innocent boy to spend the rest of his life behind bars?! He'd die Clark! He eats so little as it is… He's scared and alone! He doesn't deserve to go to jail!" Batman stopped for a moment, suddenly very confused. "Why're you smiling?"

"You like him," Superman grinned. "You said no so quickly because you care about him."

"Don't be ridiculous Clark, I've known him for three weeks."

"Bruce, there's nothing wrong with caring for him. God knows he could use it."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Fine."

Batman turned away. "You shouldn't have stopped me yesterday."

"What?"

"You stopped me from ending him."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

"We have to maintain our self-control, even when-"

"Damn it Clark!" Batman banged his fists of a console. "Don't lecture me on self-control!"

"Bruce-"

"When you have to see a teenage boy with handprints on his neck every day, you can lecture me! When you have to deal with someone who is afraid to even be touched, you can lecture me! When you can only stand by and do nothing to help an innocent child who has done nothing but suffer, you can lecture me!"

"I won't let you kill him, Bruce!"

"I don't need your permission, Clark!"

"No! I won't allow this! You took an oath! I won't let you break it over that piece of sub-human scum!"

Bruce huffed. "I'm more than capable of handling myself."

"This case is getting to you. It's understandable."

"Stop being stupid Clark. Now move before I hide kryptonite somewhere on the tower again."

Superman sighed and stepped aside. "Fine." Batman unlocked the door and left.

'Stupid Boy Scout,' he thought as he headed for the zeta tube. 'Sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.' Batman arrived at the zeta at the same time as Flash. A thought occurred to him. No. No, he was not stooping that low. 'Do it for Roy,' he reminded himself he walked towards Flash. 'Do it for Roy.' He groaned internally. "Flash!" he shouted just as the Speedster was about to leave.

Flash froze. 'Oh no!' He turned around slowly. "Hey Bats!" he smiled uneasily. "What's up?"

"You're familiar with how to help victims of abuse?"

"Um….I have a little bit of experience in that area, yes."

"I thought it would be good for Roy to talk to Wally."

The sudden change in subject gave even Flash's mind whiplash. "Why- oh. Not a bad idea."

"Come to the Manor tomorrow." That sounded like an order if Flash had ever heard one.

"Ok but-"

"While Wally and Roy talk you can tell me about your experience in this area." Again, sounded a lot like an order.

"Um…..ok." Batman nodded and brushed past the puzzled speedster.

"Batman, 02."

Flash blinked and looked back at the zeta. "Did-did Batman just ask me for help?"

— —

Words couldn't describe the terror that went through Roy when he woke up in his bed. In his old bedroom. In Star City. He looked around in confusion, kicking the blankets away. "What- what am I doing here?" He scrambled out of the bed. "How did I get here?" Everything looked the same. Like he'd never left. The door opened and he spun around.

"Roy," Oliver said, taking a few steps in. "You finally awake?"

"Y-yes."

"Let's go then."

"Go?"

"Yes go. Get dressed!" Oliver gestured to something folded up on Roy's desk before he left. Roy walked over to the desk cautiously. It was a pile of neatly folded clothes. White, button-down dress shirt, black pants, and a green and black striped tie. He put them on since Oliver had told him to, and Roy didn't want to upset him. He found a pair of shoes next to his desk that he assumed went with his outfit. The last thing the put on was the green blazer that was hanging off his desk chair. He put it on and did the buttons. There was a crest on the breast pocket. A shield shape with a cursive 'S' and 'A'. He ran into his bathroom and looked in the mirror. There were no bruises. Even the fading ones were now gone. His arm wasn't in a sling and he looked….normal. Like he had before he'd met Oliver. "Roy!"

"C-coming!" Roy left his bedroom and went downstairs. He found Oliver in the kitchen, making breakfast. He sat down cautiously. He wanted to ask about the clothes, but he didn't for fear of Oliver thinking he was questioning him. "What're we doing today?"

"More or less what we do every day. Unless you're talking about tonight, in which case we're going to Gotham."

Roy paled a little. "Gotham? Why-why would we go there?"

Oliver gave him a puzzled look. "We're helping Batman with a case. Didn't I go over this yesterday?" What was going on here?! They were going to help Batman with a case? Since when?! Oliver hated Batman! He hated the whole Justice League! A feeling Roy was pretty sure was 100% mutual. Maybe he could ask Dick about it that night. "Are you ok Roy?"

Roy jumped as he was snapped out of his thoughts. "Y-yeah. Of course."

"You sure? You look a little pale and you've been acting kind of weird."

Roy's confusion only increased. Did Oliver sound….concerned about him? No. No that wasn't right. Oliver hardly ever showed actual concern for his well-being. If Roy got hurt on patrol or during training he was irritated, like patching him up was inconvenient. When he was the one hurting Roy, he never seemed concerned about it. "I'm fine Ollie. Really."

"Do you have a test or something today?"

Roy's stomach twisted. "T-test?"

"Yes, test. Those things teachers give you to see if you learned anything." He smiled at Roy. "Don't worry if it is a big test. I was never a great student in school, and I turned out fine." He turned away laughing.

'School?' Roy looked down at his clothes. Now that he thought about it, these did look like they could be a uniform. 'But….Oliver never sent me to school. He said it was too dangerous.' He could clearly remember Oliver explaining this, and once again apologizing that Roy had to spend so much time hidden from the public to stay safe. Oliver set a plate of eggs in front of him and Roy blinked.

'Don't even dare!' a voice in his head hissed.

"Roy?" Roy looked up at Oliver. "Eat. Aren't you hungry?"

"Uh…yeah! S-sorry. Thank you."

Oliver gave him another weird look. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Absolutely." If being "ok" constituted feeling scared and confused, then yes. He was perfectly fine.

"Oh, you left this in the arsenal. Again." Oliver put a cell phone down next to Roy's plate. "If you lose it again….well I mean taking it might defeat the purpose of punishing you for not having it…" He took a sip of his coffee. "I will think of something though. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Sir? Roy that's weak sarcasm, especially from you." He frowned again. "You sure you're ok?"

Roy honestly wasn't sure. Nothing made sense. He didn't have a cell phone. It wasn't like he'd needed one. He didn't go to school. Oliver didn't make him eggs and they certainly didn't help Batman with cases in Gotham! 'What's going on here?!' A hand suddenly settled on his shoulder and he flinched.

"You're acting really weird. Did you hurt yourself last night?"

"N-no."

"You sure? I can check you out before we leave."

More and more confusion. "I'm good Ollie. Really."

"Ok." Oliver's phone rang and he stepped out to answer it. Roy watched him go apprehensively. He looked down at his plate of barely touched food.

"It's not real," he whispered. "It's not real. This isn't real." There was no way it could be real. He slipped out of his chair and crept towards the doorway. He glanced up and down the hall, looking for Oliver.

"Roy?" He jumped and turned around. He pressed his back against the wall.

"Sorry!"

"For what?" Oliver asked, clearly confused.

That was a good question. He wasn't sure. "I-I-"

"Roy if something's wrong you can tell me."

Roy shook his head. "No. No, just tell me what I did wrong."

Oliver just seemed to get more confused. "What're you talking about?"

"Whatever I did, just tell me, I won't do it again I swear!"

"Roy-" Oliver reached out, but Roy ducked under his arm. Roy backed up slowly, still shaking his head.

"Please Ollie, just tell me what I did." Roy hadn't felt this confused since the time Oliver had given him the silent treatment for a week. He kept backing away. Oliver followed him, still looking as confused as Roy felt.

"Roy I have no idea what you're talking about." Roy turned and ran, even though he knew running from Oliver just made him angrier. He couldn't help it. Nothing made sense. He ran up the stairs, hoping to hide in his room. Just as he made it to the top of the stairs though, Oliver came around the corner. Roy stopped so fast he lost his balance and fell backward-

"Ah!" Roy shot up and quickly turned the light off. He looked around. He was in his room at Wayne Manor. In Gotham. Not Star. 'What- what was that?' That dream was so bizarre he didn't even know what to do with it. 'I don't understand…' His door opened, making his head snap up.

"Roy?" Dick asked sleepily. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Just a…..bad dream."

Dick nodded and came farther into the room, shutting the door behind him, He crawled up into Roy's bed, snuggling against him. Roy didn't say anything, merely turning off the light and laying down. He stared at the dark ceiling for a little while longer before he fell back to sleep though. The bizarre dream kept re-playing in his head until Roy finally passed out with images of a different Ollie and a different life he wished he could've had.


	26. Speedsters to the Rescue

A/N: Time for another chapter! I've been posting some of my one-shots, so if you're interested go take a look.

"Uncle Barry I'm fine!" Wally moaned as Barry checked him for injuries one more time. "Look!" He swung his leg at the knee to prove his point. "See? Fine."

Barry sighed. "I just want to make sure you're ok for a cross-country trip."

"It's only like….1,000 miles." Finally satisfied, Barry stepped back and let Wally hop down off the counter. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes." He couldn't delay this any further. "Remember to stay right next to me-"

"Or within three feet in front of you at all times, I know." Barry had only gone over it 5 times since he'd gotten up that morning. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes."

"Woo!" Wally zoomed out of the room, making Iris laugh.

"Loosen up sweetie," she said, putting her hands on Barry's shoulders. "You're too tense."

"I have a reason to be."

"I know. I also know that you're going to protect Wally while you two are in Gotham."

"Uncle Barry!" Wally called from the front door. "I thought we were leaving!"

Barry sighed and smiled. "I should go."

"Yes," Iris agreed. "Before he leaves without you."

"He shouldn't be this excited about going to Gotham. No one should be."

"He's just excited about the chance to help Roy. He has a big heart. Just like his hero."

Barry smiled as he kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now go, before Bruce yells at you for being late."

Barry let the kitchen and found Wally standing half inside the house and half outside the house at the front door. "Ready Kid?" he asked.

Wally nodded eagerly, bouncing up and down on his heels. "Yesyesyesyeysyesyes-"

"Calm down Kid." He put his arm around his nephew and ruffled his red hair. "Alright, let's go."

— —

Bruce Wayne was not a man who asked for help. 'Help me' wasn't a phrase that existed in his vocabulary. Especially not when he was Batman. He didn't need help from others, especially the Justice League. Most especially, from speedsters. Yet, here he was waiting for Barry to get to Gotham so he could help. Funny how that worked.

"Bruce?" Bruce turned around to find Dick standing in the door of his study. "Is Flash here yet?"

"Not yet. Trust me, you'll know when he gets here." Speedsters had a way of announcing themselves. "Where's Roy?"

"In his room."

"I heard him yell last night."

Dick nodded. "He said he had a bad dream."

"Did he tell you what it was about?"

"No, he never tells me."

Bruce frowned. He would've thought that if Roy could open up to anyone, it would be Dick. The boys weren't super close, but he did trust Dick above everyone else in the Manor.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said, appearing in the doorway. "Mister Allen and his nephew are here."

"Thank you, Alfred, can you show them in?"

"Of course sir."

"Are you sure you're ok with Wally knowing our identities?" Dick asked.

Bruce sighed. "Yes," he begrudgingly admitted.

"Didn't you say speedsters are motor mouths?"

"They are, but after the little stunt you two pulled in Star…I've come to realize Kid Flash is….responsible enough to be given this information."

Dick smirked. "That hurt didn't it?"

"Like getting stabbed." Dick laughed.

"Whoa!" came a gasp from the hall.

Bruce sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. 'Do it for Roy,' he reminded himself mentally. 'Do it for Roy.'

"Mister Allen and his nephew," Alfred said, announcing the two speedsters.

"Robin!" Dick was hit from behind and found himself suddenly tumbling across the floor. He glared up at the red-haired kid smiling at him. "Hi, Rob!"

"Sorry," Barry said to Bruce. He was just as good at the Bat Glare without his cowl. "Wally, get off him."

"I'm not in costume either," Dick reminded him as Wally sheepishly got up. He somersaulted forward to his feet. He smirked at the astounded look on Wally's face. "I'm Richard Grayson. You can call me-"

"Barry he's even tinier without the cape!" Wally said excitedly to his uncle, who put his head in his hands. He pat Dick on the head, seemly oblivious to the mini-Bat Glare he was getting from the boy.

"Alfred, can you take Wally up to see Roy please?" Bruce asked before Dick could break the hand that was patting him.

"This way Mister Wallace," Alfred said. Wally zoomed to his side, beaming radiantly.

"No superspeed inside!" Barry yelled after him. He chuckled nervously and turned back to Bruce and Dick, only to be met with two glares. "I'm sorry, he's just really excited and he hasn't been on a long run in weeks-"

"You need to teach him self-control Barry," Bruce growled as he sat down.

"At the very least get him a leash," Dick muttered as he sat down in a chair. He jumped up, flipping over the back and settling into a cross-legged position. Barry blinked at the way the young boy settled the back of his feet on his knees with apparent ease.

"I swear he's getting better," Barry assured them as he sat down as well in the other empty chair. There was no way he was risking sitting next to Batman. "He's just got a lot of pent-up energy and he really likes you Dick so-"

"He does?"

"That's why he tackles you when sees you and runs around you in a circle and-"

"Barry focus," Bruce said.

"Right, sorry." Barry sat forward and put his hands on his knees. The reason why they'd come. He sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"How do we fix him?" Dick asked. Both the adults gave him a curious look. "What?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple Dick. Something like this is….very complicated. It's also not the same for everyone and I can only tell you what I've done with Wally. There's no guarantee it will work with Roy."

"How do make Roy comfortable with us?" Bruce asked, trying for smaller, more manageable questions.

"You guys get right to the point. Well, there's nothing you really can do."

"Nothing?!" Dick demanded.

"I mean-" Barry didn't know how to put this. "What're you doing right now?"

"I'm not forcing him to be near me if he doesn't want to and giving him time to adjust being used to me," Bruce said.

"Good, good. That's what you should be doing. All you can do is let him come to you."

"Really?"

"Yes. This is all going to happen at his pace. It's good to push him a little bit, but for the most part, you can only move as fast as he's able to deal with it."

"What specifically do we need to do?"

"There are a few things you can do. One is to get him to talk about what happened. He needs to face what happened and he can't keep it all inside."

"You want us to make him relive his trauma?"

"Wouldn't that make it worse?" Dick asked in confusion.

"Not exactly," Barry said. "It might not be fun, scratch that it's the opposite of fun, but it's very healthy for him to talk about what happened."

"Ok, talk." Dick nodded. "What's next?"

"Coping. Considering everything, I can almost guarantee he doesn't have healthy coping strategies. He needs healthy ways to deal with the problems that the abuse has caused."

"What kind of coping strategies?" Dick asked.

"Um….relaxation, breathing-"

"We can handle panic and anxiety attacks," Bruce said.

"Alright well, you should also try to clear up his mindset on what happened. Wally spent the first few months believing what had happened was his fault. If Roy is anything like him, and I'm assuming Oliver Queen is the type of scum who would put the blame on Roy, he'll need your help to realize that he didn't deserve what happened to him. You need to make sure he understands that. None of it was his fault. If he has a distorted way of thinking about himself or others you need to fix it."

"What do you mean dis-disoren-" Dick frowned as he stumbled over the word.

"Distorted," Bruce said to him. "It means giving a false impression." Dick still look confused. "Barry means Roy might have views of himself that aren't true."

"Exactly," Barry nodded. "If Oliver emotionally abused him, which I think he probably did, then Roy might believe he's bad, damaged-"

"Damaged?" Dick asked.

"It means….." He looked at Bruce for help.

"Dick," Bruce said, more gently than Barry had ever heard him say anything, "damaged means that Roy might believe in some way that he is broken or not well."

Dick blinked. "Why would he think that?" he asked in a small voice.

"Oliver hurt him, Dick," Barry explained gently. "Roy might think that he's broken because he's been through such a terrible ordeal and that Oliver's treatment somehow reflects who he is a person. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded slowly. "I think so. I don't want him to think that though."

Bruce didn't miss the teary look in Dick's eyes. Sometimes he honestly forgot how young his ward was. "We're going to help him, Dick."

"Yes," Barry agreed.

"How do we stop him from thinking that?" Dick asked.

"Well….you won't know for sure until you know what exactly his mental state is-"

"Did Wally think that?"

"What?"

"When you and your wife took Wally in when his dad was arrested, did he think that?"

Barry sighed. "Yes, he did. It wasn't extreme, and I think it may affect Roy more, but Wally did think that he was in some way….broken as a person and that iris and I wouldn't want to keep him because of it." The time he'd held his sobbing nephew as he begging his uncle not to send him away, pleading to be given a second chance, still haunted the older speedster's dreams. "Look I can give you guys a laundry list of things to do, but above all, you have to make sure Roy knows it's not his fault. That he has no reason to be embarrassed and that he's not a bad person because of this. That he didn't deserve to be treated the way he was." He stopped and looked at Bruce. "He especially needs to hear it from you."

"Why me?"

"For better or for worse, you're his father figure now and, as dead as saying this will make me, you're a lot like Oliver."

"He is not!" Dick objected. "He's nothing like Oliver!"

"Dick," Bruce said sternly. He looked at Barry with a slight glare. "Explain."

"I just mean that you're like him in a lot of aspects. You're big, strong….bigger and stronger than Roy is at least. You're also an authority figure, just like Oliver was. You hold everything he needs for survival like food and shelter."

Bruce nodded. Despite his objections, this made a lot of sense. "He needs to talk to us; we need to help his mental state-"

"Help him form healthy attachments. Which means you need to build a relationship with him, Mr. Anti-Social. A healthy relationship with you, Dick, and Alfred will go along way to help him recover."

"It doesn't sound that hard," Dick said.

"It sounds easy now kid, but this is hard stuff."

"How long did it take before Wally was…..better?"

Barry frowned. Dick was doing in a very sneaky way, but the specter easily picked up on what he really wanted to know. "This isn't a thing you can put an exact number to kid. He will get better though. With you guys helping him, I'm sure he will."

'Let's hope so,' Bruce thought, wishing Barry wouldn't get Dick's hopes up. 'I really hope so.'

— —

Wally wouldn't stop looking around as Alfred led him to Roy. "What's it like working for Batman?" he asked excitedly.

"Everyday is an adventure," Alfred replied evenly.

"Do you go into the Bat Cave?"

"I do."

"Is it cool? Is that where he keeps all his gadgets?! And the Batmobile?!"

Alfred raised an eyebrow. So this was the unbounded energy of speedsters. They arrived at Roy's door and he knocked. "Master Roy. May we enter sir?"

"Y-yes." They walked in to find Roy in his usual place, curled up against his headboard on his bed.

"You have a guest sir. Mister Wallace West; also known as-"

"Kid Flash!" Wally beamed. He ran to Roy's side, startling the teenager to the side.

Roy frowned. "You-you're Kid Flash?"

"That's right! Wally West, nice to meet you.

"Roy Harper."

"I know!" He was younger without his suit.

"I shall leave you two alone sir," Alfred said excusing himself. He left the two alone, not convinced the red-haired lightning bolt was the best way to help Roy.

"Why're you here?"

Wally suddenly lost some of his bubbly energy. "Uncle Barry asked me if I wanted to come talk to you."

"Why?'

"Cause I get it. My dad hurt me, the same way Oliver hurt you."

Roy slowly unwound himself a little bit. "He did?"

Wally nodded and climbed on the bed. "See?" He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and flipped over his arm. Roy leaned forward so he could see. Small dark circles stood out against the pale skin. "He didn't do it a lot, but then he lost his job and he started doing it more. Then….my mom left and he did it more after that."

"When did it stop?"

"It didn't. He broke my arm and I yelled so loud I woke up the neighbors. They called the police and the police arrested him. Then they called Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So you know you're not alone. I felt really alone when I went to live with Barry and Iris, but they took me to this place where I could talk to other kids like me and I felt less alone."

"I have Dick."

"Who? Oh, Robin. Right. Well, he's great, but he doesn't know like we do."

Roy played idly with his feet. "Do-do you like living with your aunt and uncle?"

"Oh yeah! Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris are great! They never hurt me."

"They don't?"

"Nope. Do you think Batman will hurt you?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"True. He's really scary, but Uncle Barry says he's actually a really nice guy. You'll see."

Roy looked away. "Do you ever think that maybe-maybe it wasn't so bad? Like….you can think clearly now and it wasn't that bad?"

"A couple of times. The lady at the place I went to told me it was normal and that I was going to feel like that, but that it wasn't true."

"It's not?"

Wally shook his head. "I know it's hard to believe. but you're safe here. You're better off than you were in Star."

"What happened to him? Your dad?"

"He went to was a trial and I had to tell the judge and the jury people about what happened."

"You did?" That thought wasn't terrifying or anything.

"Mhm, but you don't have to worry about that. I heard Uncle Barry talking to Aunt Iris last night and he said that they can't turn Green Arrow over the police cause he threatened to reveal your identity."

Roy froze. That couldn't be right. Oliver…..Oliver wouldn't do that….? 'He cares about me,' he thought desperately. 'He wouldn't do that to me.' Roy took a deep breath. "How do you deal with it? Being afraid?"

"I'm not afraid anymore and someday you won't be either. You'll see. It gets better after a while."

"Do you ever feel scared?"

"Sometimes. If Iris or Barry yells at me a lot I get scared. It doesn't last long though."

Roy nodded. "I-I don't know who I trust. I-I feel like I can only trust Dick."

"That's a good start, he's a great guy. You can always trust me too."

"I just met you."

"Not true we met in Star that one time, remember?"

"I know." There was a knock on the door and Barry poked his head in.

"You ready kid?" he asked. "Hi, Roy."

"Who's that?" Roy asked Wally quietly.

Wally grinned as he climbed off the bed. "That's my Uncle Barry. The Flash."

Oh. That was the Flash. Roy followed Wally to the door. "How've been settling in?" Barry asked Roy.

"Good, sir."

"Sir? No one calls me that except…..no, no one calls me that. You can call me Barry." Roy looked away uncertainly. "Anyways, I'm glad you're doing ok. The whole League is happy that you're with us and safe now."

"They are?"

"Absolutely." Roy didn't respond to that.

"This way sirs," Alfred said, leading them back down the hall.

"This place is like a maze," Wally said to Barry.

"I know."

"Can we get pizza when we get home?!"

Barry laughed. "Sure but remember to get some for your aunt. She was furious last time."

The memory made Wally grin widely. "She made you sleep on the couch."

"Do you know how lump that thing is?!" Wally laughed again and Barry put his arm around him. Roy blinked. Oliver's description of Flash suddenly came to mind.

'He's unstable and only cares about himself. He acts as a hero because he wants the people of Central City to worship and praise him.' The words didn't seem to apply to the man Roy saw now. Of course, he knew people could be very different from when you first meet them. Still, though….there seemed to be something genuine in how he acted with Wally. They reached the front door and Bruce shook Barry's hand. He didn't say anything, but Barry just nodded in silent reply. Dick gave Wally a hug, much to Wally and Roy's surprise.

"Bye Wally," he said.

"Bye man!" Wally smiled. "I'll see you next time we're all together on the Watchtower."

"I look forward to it, Kid Mouth."

"Hey!"

Barry chucked. "Let's go, Kid. Bye Roy."

"Bye Roy!" Wally waved to him and Roy raised his hand. Once the door was shut Bruce turned to Roy. It was nice to see the teen out of his room.

"Did you….have a good talk with Kid Flash?"

Roy nodded. "Yes."

"Good. That's….good." There was a moment of awkward silence. Dick looked between the two of them and smiled.

"Come on Roy," he said pulling the teen along behind him. "Let's go play a game."

"Ok," Roy said, following.

"It seems those two will be fine together," Alfred observed.

Bruce nodded. "Don't want to mess this up, Alfred."

"I have faith in your sir. That fact that you swallowed your pride long enough to ask Mister Allen for help speaks volumes about your true intentions."

"I wasn't-" He stopped when he remembered how pointless it was to argue with Alfred.

"I'm sure whatever he told you will be of great use next weekend."

Bruce frowned in confusion. "Next weekend?"

"Yes, sir. I am going to England to see my family and Master Dick has a weekend-long school trip."

Oh no. "I'm going to be alone with Roy all weekend?"

"Yes, sir. Unless you prefer I cancel my trip-"

"No, of course not. You can go. I'll….I'll manage."

"Don't worry Master Bruce you're much better at this than you think."

"If you say so, Alfred."


	27. Roy and Bruce's Weekend

A/N: Here's the next chapter! Just so you know, we're about halfway through the story. (I know its long.) Read on and enjoy!

"Do you have to go?" Roy asked Dick. He was sitting on the boy's bed, watching him pack a bag with clothes.

"Yes Roy, I do."

"I don't want you to go."

Dick smiled. "Roy I'm only going to be one for three days. Not even. I'll be back Sunday night."

"I still don't want you to go."

"You're going to be fine."

"Alfred won't be here either though."

"You'll be fine Roy."

Roy honestly didn't think so. The prospect of spending the entire weekend alone with Bruce wasn't exactly comforting. 'What if I do something wrong? No one will be here to protect me.' True, Bruce hadn't hit him yet or tried to, but that could be because Alfred and Dick were always around as witnesses. If they weren't here would that finally make Bruce hit him? "Do you really have to go?"

"I'll be back on Sunday."

"Promise?"

"I promise. It's only three days Roy."

'A lot can happen in three days.' Dick finished packing his bag and closed it. "Come on," he said, holding out his hand. Roy took it and Dick grabbed his bag. The two of them went downstairs where Alfred and Bruce were waiting in the foyer.

"Please try not to burn down the kitchen while I am away Master Bruce," Alfred said, giving the younger man a look.

"I swear your kitchen will be exactly as you left it," Bruce promised, putting his hands up in surrender.

"See to it that it is sir."

Dick smirked. "Don't worry," he whispered to Roy. "Bruce's cooking is edible 75% of the time."

"I heard that," Bruce said, glancing sideways at Dick.

"Sir, could you assist me in bringing my bags to the car?" Alfred asked.

"Of course Alfred." While Alfred and Bruce were gone Dick gave Roy a hug. Roy flinched back and tried to push him away. Bruce came back and saw the exchange.

"Do try to bond with him sir," Alfred said. "You must show Master Roy that you're not going to treat him like Oliver Queen did."

Bruce nodded, remembering what Barry and told him the week before. "I'll try Alfred. Dick, are you ready?"

"Let's go!" Dick stepped away from Roy and headed for the door.

"See you in a week Master Roy," Alfred said.

"Bye Alfred," Roy said quietly.

"See you in a few days," Dick waved.

"Bye Dick." He watched the two of them leave and his eyes traveled to Bruce. The man didn't miss the fear in the teen's eyes.

"I'm taking Alfred to the airport and dropping Dick off at the school," he said. "I'll be back soon."

"Ok." Roy backed up a couple steps and Bruce followed Dick and Alfred out the door. Once he was alone Roy retreated to his bedroom. He squirmed his way under his bed and laid there, watching the door. 'I hope this weekend goes by fast.'

— —

Roy didn't really keep track of time while he was under the bed. After a couple of hours, he dared to come out. He crept over to the door and opened it a crack. The hall was completely deserted. There was no sign of Bruce. He closed the door again and sat quietly on the floor, watching tv. Normally in his bedroom, he was able to relax, knowing that he was at least safe in there. At the moment though his heart was pounding and all his muscles were tense. He couldn't really comprehend the show he was watching. It was all noise to him. Even so, he sat there watching it for a while. At some point, his stomach started growling.

"Shh!" he hissed, shushing it. He wrapped his arms around his knees. Alfred was always telling him if he was hungry to ask for something to eat. "No." He shook his head. "No, I'll stay here. I have to stay." If he stayed out of Bruce's hair then it would minimize his chances of getting hurt. So he stayed quiet and let his stomach growl. A few hours later there was a knock on his door.

"Roy?" Bruce asked. "It's time for dinner."

"O-ok." Roy got up and shut the tv off. He opened the door to find Bruce standing outside.

"Come on, my cooking isn't as bad as Alfred and Dick say it is. Promise." Bruce tried to smile, but it just seemed to make Roy more uneasy. He turned away and let Roy simply follow him to the dining room. The teen sat down and Bruce set his plate down in front of him. "Enjoy."

"Thank you, sir."

'So we're back to sir?' Bruce thought glumly as he sat down as well. He watched Roy from the corner of his eye as they ate. Roy ate silently, never taking his eyes off the plate. As they ate, Bruce remembered Alfred's advice to use the opportunity to let Roy get more comfortable around him. He cleared his throat and Roy froze. "I was thinking that tonight you and I could….uh….have some bonding time."

Roy's breath hitched. "B-bonding time?"

"Yes." He frowned. Roy looked terrified. 'What did I do? How did I mess it up already?' Bruce tried to think of something to put Roy at ease. "We can have some fun-" That only made Roy looked more scared. He tried to think. What did Dick like to do? "We could….watch a movie." Roy gave him a suspicious look.

"A movie?"

"Yes. Any movie you want."

"O-ok." Roy really didn't want to have "bonding time" with Bruce, but he wasn't stupid enough to say no. Dinner seemed to drag after that. When he finished he didn't dare move in case Bruce wanted something from him.

"Why don't you go pick a movie and I'll make some popcorn."

"Yes, sir." Roy left and Bruce sighed quietly.

"I've been at this for 15 minutes and I'm already messing it up," he muttered to himself.

Roy meanwhile was looking at the DVD collection, trying to calm down enough to focus. Even this was new to him, since whenever he and Oliver had watched tv together Oliver had picked. He ran his finger idly over the cases, trying to decide what could distract him enough. He froze momentarily when he found Robin Hood. Oliver's favorite movie. He jumped down to the next shelf. Truthfully, it was a movie Roy really enjoyed as well. Even though it made him sick because of how much it reminded him of his (former) guardian, part of Roy still liked it. Still, he couldn't really look at it right now. He eventually settled on a James Bond movie that he used to watch with Brave Bow a lot. He turned around just as Bruce came in with popcorn and drinks.

"Did you find something?" he asked. Roy handed him the movie silently and Bruce smiled. "I'm impressed, Dick never wants to watch these."

"I used to watch it with my adoptive father." He immediately clicked his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was to give Bruce information to use against him.

"He must've had great taste." That caught Roy off guard. Roy sat down while Bruce put the DVD in. He dimmed the lights and joined Roy on the couch. He didn't miss how Roy sat as far away from him as possible. It was very different from Dick, who cuddled up to Bruce every chance he got. 'Roy also doesn't like me,' Bruce reminded himself. 'He doesn't trust me.' The movie started and Roy tried to focus on it instead of Bruce. It got easier as the movie went on. He hadn't watched it in so long. It made him smile briefly at the jokes and silently mouthed all of his favorite lines. If he ignored Bruce, which he tried really hard to do, he could pretend he was back on the reservation, sitting on Brave Bow's faded, 50-year-old couch, using bad British accents as he and his adoptive dad quipped the lines from the movie at each other. Bruce glanced at Roy about three quarters of the way through the movie and was shocked to discover the teen looked marginally relaxed. He even looked like he was enjoying himself. He didn't touch the popcorn, but Bruce decided not to push it. Everything was going pretty well so he didn't want to mess it up.

As it turned out the universe was capable of messing it up for him.

Near the end of the movie Roy reached out to grab his glass, but accidentally knocked it off; spilling the drink all over the carpet. His chest constricted and his heart started trying to bruise his ribs. Bruce heard a gasp and paused the movie. "Roy are you-" he saw the spilled drink and sighed. "Dammit." He got up and turned the light on, only to discover Roy was curled up in a tight ball against the arm of the couch, watching Bruce's every move.

"I'm sorry," Roy said in a tight vote. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean- It-it was an accident."

Bruce did his best to keep his face neutral. He was irritated, but he knew he couldn't let Roy see it. "Roy-"

"Please, please-" Bruce reached out to try and calm him down but that only made Roy whimper. "I'm sorry! It was an accident! I'm sorry I'm so clumsy!"

"Roy. Roy-"

"Please don't hit me, I'm sorry!"

"Roy!" Roy froze and Bruce swallowed his guilt. He hadn't wanted to raise his voice and he was pretty sure it'd probably just made things worse, but he'd needed to get Roy's attention somehow. "It's ok. I know it was an accident."

"I'm sorry…"

"I know, it's ok. I'm not going to hit you." As if to prove his point Bruce kept his hands where Roy could see them.

Confusion quickly took over Roy's face. "You-you're not?"

Something akin to horror or anger built up in Bruce, but he pushed it down to try and deal with this. "No, I'm not. It was an accident. I'm not mad."

Roy's eyes flickered down to Bruce's hand's briefly. They weren't clenched into fists or tense. His eyes flickered back to Bruce's face. No aggression. No anger. "I really am sorry."

"It's ok."

Roy swallowed. "Can I- can I go to bed?"

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, go ahead." Roy got up. "Sleep well, Roy." He didn't miss the way shocked passed over Roy's face momentarily.

"Thank you, sir. Good night." Roy quickly left the room. Once he was in the hall he ran to his bedroom and made sure the door was shut. He got undressed with shaking hands and crawled up onto his bed. 'He didn't hit me,' he thought as he stared out at the dark room. 'He didn't hit me.' He shivered. 'He's still being nice.' That surprised Roy. Oliver had stopped being nice after three weeks. He'd been here more than a month and Bruce was still being nice to him. 'He probably won't for much longer. I ruin everything, he won't for much longer.'

Downstairs, Bruce cleaned up the mess to the best of his ability, but he wasn't Alfred. After that, he checked on Roy and found the teen passed out on his bed. Bruce covered him with a blanket before leaving. He went downstairs to the gym and found his way over to the punching bag. He let his anger from earlier return and started pounding on the bag. He saw the terrified look in Roy's eyes in his mind and he punched harder. Roy had expected Bruce to hit him. Expected! As if there was no other way he deserved to be treated! Not only that, but he'd looked surprised when Bruce was kind to him afterward! Bruce kept punching, pretending that the bag was Oliver Queen's face. No matter how hard he punched though, he couldn't get Roy's terrified look out of his mind.

— —

The next day went marginally better. The standard was already very low, so when Bruce got up the next morning he resolved that he wouldn't upset Roy that day. He stopped by Roy's door to see if he was up. "Roy? You awake?"

Roy jerked awake, suddenly disoriented. "Uh…yeah…."

"I'm going to make breakfast."

"O-ok." Roy sat in his room, wondering if he would get breakfast too. Then he remembered what had happened the night before and decided he probably wouldn't. "It's your own fault," he muttered to himself as he got dressed. He then sat down on the floor with a book he'd started reading. He resolved he'd stay away from Bruce as much as possible. He had only made it a few pages before Bruce knocked on his door again.

"Roy come eat."

"Yes, sir." Roy got up and slowly opened the door. He followed Bruce downstairs and sat down in front of his plate. "Thank you, sir."

"You don't have to call me 'sir' Roy," Bruce said as gently as he could while he sat down.

"Sorry."

Bruce took a deep sip of his coffee. He'd been worried about Roy when he didn't come down and decided to broach the subject that had been bothering him since Roy's first day with them. "Roy, did Oliver withhold food from you?"

Roy swallowed. He hesitated, then reminded himself he needed to behave. "Y-yes. It was my fault though I was always misbehaving."

There was that murderous feeling again. Bruce focused on his hand so he could un-clench his hand from his fork. "Roy nothing you do can justify him starving you."

"Ollie was just…" Roy's brain stalled for an explanation. "It wasn't all the time. Just sometimes. He-he would leave out the food so I could eat for breakfast and lunch."

"He left it out? You didn't get it out yourself?"

"No, he-he kept the pantry and fridge locked."

Bruce stopped. "He did?"

"Yes. He didn't want me stealing food."

The fact that Oliver considered Roy eating food in the place he lived "stealing" spoke volumes about how the man saw taking care of Roy. "I'm going to guess he didn't let you have snacks either?" Roy shook his head. That explained a lot. A thought occurred to Bruce. It wasn't a good thought, but he felt he needed to know. "Did he ever make you go on patrol without feeding you?"

"Sometimes. It was ok though."

"No Roy, it isn't." Roy didn't look at him. Against his better judgment, Bruce reached out and put his hand gently on Roy's. The teen flinched and looked at him in fear. "It is not ok that Oliver made you go out and fight crime on an empty stomach." No wonder he was so thin. "Do you understand?"

"I-uh…."

Bruce moved his hand and sat back. "Take your time." Roy went back to eating but didn't say another word to Bruce for the rest of the meal. Once he was done he asked if he could go and left the room was his shoulders slumped. Bruce watched him go with a twinge of sadness. He'd never noticed before now, but Roy walked like the world had beaten him down. 'I never thought I could want to kill someone this much.' Once he finished himself, he cleaned up and did the dishes. He was heading to the gym when he briefly passed the back doors and found Roy sitting in front of them. Roy hadn't noticed him, so he stopped and watched him. Roy was sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring out the glass doors. This side of the Manor faced away from the city, so he was staring at the rest of the property. It was an unusually sunny day in Gotham and the view Roy had was nice. "Like the view?"

Roy jumped. "I-I didn't see you there."

"That's ok. Do you want to go outside?"

Roy quickly shook his head. "No, no of course not. I'm fine."

Bruce didn't believe that, which was why he walked over and opened the doors. The warm, late-spring air hit him and Roy visibly relaxed. "We don't get many days like this in Gotham. Gotta enjoy them while you can." He smiled, but it didn't put Roy at ease. "If you do go outside make sure you put some shoes on. Ok?"

"O-ok." Roy watched him go, then stared at the open doors apprehensively. He was suddenly 12-years-old again staring at a set of open glass doors. He was 12-years-old and he hadn't been outside in months, after spending most of his life outside shooting a bow. He was 12-years-old and being slammed against a wall and slapped because he was disobeying his legal guardian. He jerked back, bringing himself back to reality. "It's ok. It's ok. It's ok." He crept a little closer to the door. If Bruce was going to give him the same test that Oliver had, then Roy was determined he wouldn't fail it this time. He sat in the doorway, not outside, and enjoyed the fresh air. It was a little cold here, colder than Star or the reservation had been at least. It was refreshing though. Roy enjoyed it.

That was where Bruce found him a lunchtime; realizing that Roy wouldn't eat without express permission. Again, Bruce was hit with a sudden sadness. It seemed like Roy loved the outdoors, but Oliver had never let him leave the house. 'How much can Oliver take from him?' The answer was apparently everything. Lunch was a silent affair. Roy didn't say anything and Bruce decided he'd pushed the boy enough for one day. After lunch, Roy brought a handheld video game that Dick had picked out for him downstairs and played it in the open doorway. Bruce left him alone for the day, training in the gym and doing work in the bat cave. He wished he could go on patrol, but the rational part of his brain argued he shouldn't leave Roy alone. Besides, the city hadn't burned down and no one had broken out of Arkham yet that week.

Dinner went pretty much the same way lunch did. Roy was silent and still calling Bruce sir whenever he had to talk to him. Bruce decided against more bonding, remembering how horribly it had gone the first time. He didn't really think just watching movies with Roy was going to convince the teen he was trustworthy anyways. He spent most of the evening in the Bat Cave working and tweaking his and Dick's utility belts. He was planning on bringing Robin out on patrol with him that week. Green Arrow's assault on their cities hadn't stopped, but the League was doing a better job of keeping their citizens safe. Plus Oliver had yet to come to Gotham, and Robin would never be more than five feet from Batman at all times. In true Bruce Wayne fashion, he worked until late into the night. By the time he actually checked the time again he discovered it was a little past 3 in the morning. 'If Alfred was here he'd have my head,' Bruce thought with a small smile as he made his way back up to the Manor. He decided to check on Roy again before he went to bed.

Bruce opened the door silently to find Roy sleeping, but he was tossing and turning. His arms and legs were twitching and Bruce could just barely make out the fear on his face. He opened the door a little wider.

"Mmm…." Roy mumbled. "N-no. No stop." Bruce froze. Oh, this wasn't going to be good. "No. No, Ollie, please! Please!"

Bruce turned the light on, and made his way over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. "Roy," he whispered, gently shaking the teen. "Roy wake up."

"No! No, stop, please! Please!"

"Roy, it's ok. It's just a dream."

"Please!" Roy sat up suddenly and Bruce put a hand on his knee.

"Roy, it's ok. It's ok, you're safe. It was just a dream-"

"No!" Roy sobbed. He shook his head. "It wasn't just a dream! It happened!"

Bruce frowned. The nightmare wasn't a dream it was a memory. "What happened?"

Roy, having calmed down a little bit, gave Bruce an uncertain look. "I-"

"I won't judge you. I just want to know what happened in your dream."

Roy pulled his knees cover and hugged them. He buried his face in his legs for a brief moment. "It-it was about the time I-I ran away when I was 12."

"You ran away before?"

"I tried." Roy looked down. "I was just….I was scared. I was scared and I wanted to be- I packed a bag and grabbed my lo- stuff and left. I was trying to figure out how to climb the wall when Ollie…. When he found me."

"What happened next?"

Roy shivered and his grip on his blankets got tighter. "He grabbed me and dragged me back to the mansion. He threw my stuff and-" He took a breath. "He started yelling at me. He said I was ungrateful for what he'd done for me and that I was-"

"You were…" Bruce prompted gently when Roy didn't continue. Roy exhaled a shaky breath.

"I was worthless and stupid. He said no one else would ever want me and I was lucky that he'd taken me in. Then he started….he started punching me and kicking me." Bruce clenched his fists. "He kept yelling, telling me that I needed to listen and behave. He choked me and started hitting me with-with something…." In reality, it had been his own longbow. He was still surprised Oliver hadn't broken it. "He dislocated my arm. He told me not to run again. Then he-he locked me in a closet."

Bruce blinked. "He looked you in a closet?"

Roy nodded. "For two days."

"Straight?" A nod. "No food or water?" Another nod. Fury wasn't a word strong enough to describe how Bruce felt.

"That-that was it." He glanced at Bruce. "I swear I won't try to run. I know better now."

"Roy….no….just…" Bruce took a deep breath. "Roy, I don't want you to be scared of me. What Oliver did was wrong-"

"No, it was my fault for running away!"

"No, Roy. It wasn't. You didn't deserve to be treated that way. No child does. Do you understand?"

"I-I was bad. I disobeyed him-"

"Roy you didn't deserve it. You don't deserve to be beaten, no matter what you do wrong." Roy looked away and Bruce sighed.

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's ok-"

"I won't do it again."

Bruce stopped. He was starting to recognize the words Roy used when he thought he was in trouble. "Do you think you're in trouble?"

Roy nodded. "Ollie would get mad if I woke him because of a nightmare."

"He would?"

"He would slap me and tell me to stop being weak. It wasn't so bad."

Bruce briefly wondered if there was something more severe than murder. "I'm not mad. I help Dick with nightmares all the time."

"You do?"

"I do." Roy looked exhausted and Bruce decided the thing he needed was sleep. "Why don't you go back to sleep, ok?"

"Ok." Roy laid down and Bruce covered him.

"Good night Roy."

Bruce was about t run the light off when Roy suddenly said, "Bruce." Bruce looked at him. "Thank you."

Bruce nodded. "You're welcome. Sleep well." He turned the light off and closed the door behind him. He allowed himself a single moment to enjoy the fact that it was the first time all weekend Roy had used his name. Then the moment was gone and he allowed his anger from earlier to creep back in. Bruce made his way down to the bat cave, wanting to get far away from Roy so the boy couldn't hear him. Once he was down there he grabbed a random piece of machinery and threw across the cave with a yell. "God damn that bastard!" he shouted. His hands were shaking and his mind was already figuring out the fastest way to get from Gotham to Star and end Oliver Queen in the most painful way possible. Unconsciously, he took a couple of steps towards his Bat suit. He clenched his fists and forcibly stopped himself. Then he forced himself to back up. His hands were still shaking. He took deep breaths, trying to focus on literally anything else. "Not the way," he growled lowly. "This isn't the way I do things." He was practically deaf to his own words. all he could hear was Roy telling him about how he'd been severely beaten then locked in a closet when he was only 12. 12. Years. Old. Bruce kept breathing, trying to stop his hands from shaking and get the tension out of his muscles. "I can't kill him. I can't kill him." It took 20 minutes before he could think straight. Some of the tension left his muscles, but his hands were still shaking a little bit.

Bruce went over to the Bat computer and had to take another 10 minutes to get his hands to stop shaking. Once he could actually type, he opened the file on Roy. It was full of pictures taken from security cameras, as well s the ones taken there in the cave, videos of Roy on the street and being beaten, and all the previous information Bruce had been able to dig up on him; not that it was a lot. He started typing, methodically writing out the story that Roy had just told him. He wasn't completely sure why he was doing it. These accounts weren't crucial to proving Queen's guilt. He just couldn't listen to what had happened to the teen and forget them though. 'Maybe it can be my punishment,' he thought bitterly as he finished. 'So I'll never forget what happened to him because of my inactivity.' He did know he was partially responsible for what had happened. He'd suspected what Oliver was doing only two months after he'd taken Roy in, yet he'd sat back and done nothing to stop it. He opened the part of the file that contained Roy's social services file. It was longer than Dick's had been, but still pretty small. He sat back and went over it again. Orphaned twice before age 13. Bruce couldn't imagine going through a pain like that twice. There were two photos in the file. One was Roy's school picture from before he'd left the reservation. Bruce tried not to look too long at the mischievous smile and care-free eyes. The next photo was of Roy when he was a little older. He was holding a bow in a shooting position while an older Native American man pointed at something that was off camera. Roy was smiling widely with excitement.

The before and after of Roy's life was shocking. Bruce had been guessing that Roy had been a lot like Dick before Oliver took him in. He closed the file, getting rid of the pictures. He couldn't stand to look at them. They only reminded him of how terrible the world had been to Roy. How deeply he'd failed by not acting on his theories sooner. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. 'I've really messed up this time. God, I've really messed it up this time.'

— —

The following morning Roy was slightly less tense than he had been. He didn't really look at Bruce or even talk to him, but he was able to be a little less tense during the day. He spent the afternoon after lunch fiddling with the bows Bruce had gotten him. He adjusted them so the draw weight was where he needed it and took some practice draws, firing invisible arrows. It felt nice that his shoulder no longer hurt when he pulled the string back. He still felt a twinge of pain in his chest, but it wasn't as bad as it usually was. Living in Gotham the past month had allowed him to recover from his injuries that he'd never really had. Oliver had always been giving him more injuries before the old ones could heal properly. Roy walked over to his mirror and lifted up his shirt. Some of the bruises had healed completely, while the darker ones looked more yellow and red. He let the hem of his shirt down and lifted his head a little bit. The handprints on his neck were fading as well and didn't look nearly as intimidating. He shifted uncomfortably and turned away from the mirror. He hated to think it, but Roy actually kind of liked living in the Manor. He was never hungry and he was given time to heal. Hanging out with Dick was a plus too, considering how lonely he'd been after going to live with Oliver. Alfred was pretty cool too. His cooking was awesome and he was nice enough. If Roy was honest with himself, he liked living there.

"What am I doing?" he muttered, throwing himself down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling. "I shouldn't get comfortable here. Oliver cares about me, I'm going back eventually." He desperately wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe that Oliver really did want him around and cared about him the same way Bruce apparently cared about Dick. "Dick said if he changes I can go back. If Bruce thinks it's safe I can go back." Before he could lose the nerve, Roy left his room and went looking for Bruce. He knocked on the door of Bruce's study.

Bruce blinked. "Come in." Roy shuffled in nervously and Bruce waited for him to say something. He didn't say anything for a minute. "What can I help with Roy?"

"Um…" Roy rubbed his arm. "Can I-" He swallowed. "Can I ask you a question, sir?"

"Of course."

Roy shifted, keeping his head down. He moved a little closer to Bruce. "Do- Do you think Oliver will ever change? That it'll be safe for me to go back?"

Bruce really, really wished he didn't have to have this conversation. So he avoided the question. "Are you not happy here Roy?" Roy's head snapped up and fear filled his eyes.

"N-no it's not that! Of course not!"

"Ok, it's ok." Maybe that question hadn't been the best one to ask. "I just want you to be happy." Hopefully, that was better.

"I was happy in Star."

Or maybe not. Bruce tried to figure out how to go about this without scaring Roy again. "Why do you think that?"

"Um…" Roy honestly didn't know. "I- Because I had to be. Ollie- Ollie is my guardian. Star was my home. I-I'm feeling a lot better and maybe it wasn't so bad-"

"Roy I know this has been a lot for you to process-"

"Please just tell me if Ollie can change."

"Change how?"

"…..Would he ever stop killing?"

Bruce sighed. "I don't know Roy. It would probably take a major change of heart for him."

"Maybe I could change him. If-if I'm there then maybe I can find a way to make him stop." Bruce highly doubted that. "I just- Will it ever be safe for me to go back?"

Bruce swallowed. "No Roy. It won't be." He was expecting resistance. He expected Roy to default back to his 'Oliver cares about me' mindset, but he didn't. He just nodded. He nodded and Bruce didn't miss the look on his face. "Roy-"

"Thank you."

"Roy wait." Bruce got up as Roy froze. He went over to the teen and reached out to put his hand on his shoulder, only to stop himself at the last minute. He stood there awkwardly with his hand hovering over Roy's back. He dropped his hand. "Roy-" He knew he should probably say something here, maybe try to reassure him in some way, but Bruce was at a loss for what to say. Roy looked up at him. "I-" He stood there awkwardly for another moment before muttering, "It'll be ok." It was weak. He knew it was. Oh well. Words weren't his strong suit. Roy didn't say anything either. He just turned and walked out. 'Good job Wayne,' Bruce thought to himself as he went back to his desk. 'You handled that well.' He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was terrible at this. Just horrible. As if Roy hadn't already suffered enough. Emotions weren't something Bruce handled well. His favorite way of doing things usually involved punching, but the person he wanted to punch was thousands of miles away.

Roy meanwhile went sat next to the door again. He noticed that one of them had been left opened and leaned against the closed one. He kept his body curled up. It was overcast today. He'd noticed it was overcast a lot in Gotham. He was alone, so he started to relax a little. A breeze blew against his face and he closed his eyes. It reminded him of a time last year when he'd snuck onto the terrace. Oliver had apparently forgotten to lock the door. He sat just outside it, smiling as the warm summer sun heated his face while the slightly chilled breeze simultaneously cooled his face. It was the most relaxed he'd felt in months. The peace and tranquility made him so content he was practically asleep when his body was suddenly dragged sideways.

"Ah!" his head smacked off the terrace and stars appeared briefly in his line of sight.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Oliver yelled from behind him.

"I- ah!" His face was pushed into the stone by foot on his head.

"I asked you a question!"

"I-I was just sitting! I wasn't far from the- ah!" A foot kicked him in the side with so much strength he felt a rib crack.

"What did I tell you about going outside?!" Hands grabbed him and dragged the stunned Roy to his feet.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted as he was dragged back inside. "I'm sorry-"

"Roy."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Roy!"

"I won't do it again!" Pain was flash down his back, making his shoulders blades pull back instinctively.

"Roy, it's ok! It's ok you're safe!"

"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" Hands were on his shoulders and he tried to shrink out of the grip, but to only got tighter. "Please, I'm really sorry!"

"Roy you're safe! You're in Gotham!" Roy blinked. He could see two arms by his head. He couldn't breathe! Oh god, he couldn't breathe! Oliver was choking him! His hands flew to his throat, but two more hands pulled them away. "Roy look at me! Roy focus on my voice! It's ok! You're safe! No one is hurting you!" He honed in on the voice. "Breathe slowly." Slowly? He couldn't breathe at all! "In. Out. In. out." He tried to do what the voice said. His breath was shallow and felt like it was only reaching less than a 1/4 of his lungs. "In…. Out….. In….. Out…. Try to take deep breaths." Roy did his best, but he still couldn't get air all the way into his lungs. "You're doing really good. Keep breathing. In…. Out… In…. Out…." He kept breathing. As he did things started to come into better focus. He was in Wayne Manor. Oliver wasn't there. Bruce was crouched down in front of him with worry etched all over his face. "Roy? Are you with me?"

"I- I don't know…"

"It's ok," Bruce assured him.

Roy opened his mouth again, only to realize that Bruce was hiding his wrists. He shrunk back, curling up a little bit. "Please don't hurt me."

"Roy-"

"I'm sorry. I won't bother you again, I swear!"

Bruce frowned then realized he was still holding the teen's wrists. He released them and Roy instantly curled into a ball. He reached out to reassure him, but that only got a frightened whimper from him. Bruce pulled his hand back quickly. "Roy, I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you. I was just trying to keep you from hurting yourself."

Roy wrapped his arms tighter and pulled his legs closer to his body. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Roy buried his face in his knees briefly before looking at Bruce with terrified eyes.

"For disturbing you…" His face disappeared into his knees again.

"No, no, Roy you didn't disturb me."

"I-I didn't?" He peeked up at Bruce a little bit.

"No, you didn't. It's ok." Bruce didn't know what to do. If it was Dick he would've hugged him, but this wasn't Dick and Roy hated being touched. "Are you ok?"

"I-I think so." Roy's voice was muffled by his legs. He took a shaky breath.

"Roy, what happened?"

"I-I don't know." Roy lifted his head a little more. "I-I was sitting and then I was 13 and-"

"Breathe," Bruce interjected, hearing the teen's breath picking up. "In… Out… In… Out… Good. What do you mean you were 13?"

"One-one day last year Ollie forgot to lock the terrace doors. I-I just wanted to enjoy the sunlight I swear! I just wasn't thinking and it was really stupid and-"

"Roy slow down. It's ok. You're not in trouble. What happened?"

"O-Ollie came home and I didn't notice. He-he saw me sitting outside and he…" Roy buried his face again. His grip on his jeans got tighter. Bruce could barely hear what he said next. "He grabbed me and slammed my head into the terrace-" Of course he did. "He started yelling at me and he was kicking me." He had to stop for a minute before he could continue. "Then he was choking me and yelling at me more-"

"What did he say?"

"That I was bad. He told me I was a b-bastard and I had to obey him." Bruce could see the slight tremor that was going through Roy's spine. "Then he locked me in a footlocker."

"….he did what?!"

Roy flinched back and Bruce had to quickly rein in his anger. "He-he locked me in there for a day and it was so dark and small…" The words stopped as he broke down crying. Once again Bruce felt like a fish on dry land.

"So…sitting next to the door reminded you of that?" Roy could only nod. Bruce frowned. "Like you were reliving it?" Roy nodded again. Flashback. It didn't make Bruce feel any better. Flashbacks were a sign of something worse under the surface. Roy just kept crying and it just made Bruce feel more inept. 'God I wish Alfred or Dick was here.' Either of them would've known what to do to comfort Roy. He was Batman. He didn't like situations where he didn't know what to do. In the end, he settled for sitting on the ground next to Roy, trying to reassure him. "It's ok Roy. It's ok. You're ok. You're safe. It's ok." He kept up this mantra for close to an hour before Roy calmed down. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffed.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" He apologized so much Bruce, unfortunately, wouldn't have been surprised if he apologized for existing.

"For crying. I know it makes me a wuss."

"No, it doesn't."

"Ollie said-"

"Oliver," Bruce interrupted, stressing the man's full name, "was wrong to tell you that." Roy looked away uncertainly. Bruce looked at his watch and sighed. "Come on. I should start dinner or we'll both starve." He didn't have any grand plans to explain to Roy how messed up what Oliver had done was, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Roy alone after what had just happened. So he settled for the tense silence between them as he started making dinner. Roy sat at the island, resting his head on his arms. Normally silence was something Bruce excelled at; reveled in. At the moment though the silence wasn't just silence. It was tense with Roy's frayed nerves and Bruce's inability to calm him. That inability was so prevalent that Bruce decided to do what he did best: avoid feelings. "How long have you been an archer?"

"Huh?" Roy lifted his head up, giving Bruce a look that was a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

"When did you first learn archery?" Small talk Bruce Wayne could handle. It was one of his best skills as a billionaire businessman. It was a weak question, but he would take anything to get Roy's mind off what had just happened.

"Uh…..when I was 5."

"Who taught you?"

"My-my adoptive dad."

"He was an archer too?"

"Yeah." Roy buried his face in his arms and Bruce took this to mean he didn't want to talk.

'Excellent work Wayne,' Bruce thought. 'You've done nothing to help and he's had a panic attack, a nightmare, and a flashback over this weekend.' Yeah, he was doing a great job. The important thing was that there were only a few hours until Dick was back from his school trip. At least when he finished the food he had the satisfaction of knowing Roy wasn't starving. "Here you go," he said placing a plate in front go him. "It's….mostly not burnt."

"Thank you."

Bruce deiced to just lean against the island while he ate. He tried to smile at Roy. "If Alfred were here he'd chew me out for not sitting at the table. Its ok though, we'll just keep it between us." Roy looked down at his plate and didn't say anything. Bruce gave up on conversation and decided to let Roy enjoy his meal. After nearly half an hour Roy stopped eating. He kept twirling spaghetti with his fork, but only put a few individual strands in his mouth. Bruce frowned. "Roy aren't you hungry?"

"I'll eat."

"You don't have to eat if you're not hungry."

Roy set his fork down. "I'm just tired. Can I go lay down?"

"Of course. I'm leaving in a couple hours to pick up Dick."

"Ok." Roy slipped out of his chair and quickly shuffled out of the room. Once he got upstairs, he laid down on his bed. He was too exhausted to even get under the covers. It was weird because he hadn't done anything all day, but he still couldn't muster up the energy to do anything. He just felt drained. So he curled up into a ball and stared at the wall. There was no chance he wanted to sleep since sleep equaled nightmares. His mind was more or less blank, trying to avoid his memory from earlier and the ensuing breaking down in front of Bruce. He was incredibly out of it so he didn't keep track of time, but when his door cracked open he shot up like a spring.

"Roy?" Dick asked quietly. Bruce had warned him Roy might be sleeping, and if he was not to disturb him.

"Hi, Dick." Despite his lethargic state of mind, he couldn't help the relief that he felt when he saw his young friend.

Dick grinned and ran to his bed. He somersaulted on and sat himself down in front of Roy; all seemingly in one move. He frowned. "You ok? You look….weird."

"I'm fine. How was your….trip?"

The grinned returned. "It as awesome! Have you ever slept over at a museum?! It's so cool! I got to sleep next to the T-Rex skeleton and it looks so cool in the dark! We got to watch the stars and planets too! We looked through this gigantic telescope! Oh! I almost forgot!" He reached behind himself to pulled out what looked like a rock. "Here."

Roy took it cautiously. "You got me a rock?"

"Flip it over silly." Roy turned it over. On the other side was an indent in the rock shaped like an arrowhead. "A fossilized arrowhead! I made it myself!" Roy examined it. It looked pretty legit. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah. I love it." He really did. He hadn't gotten a gift this personal since Brave Bow gave him his longbow over three years ago.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. It's great!" A small smile quivered on Roy's lips, which Dick didn't miss. It made him grin even more.

"I'm glad you like it." Dick leaned ford to hug Roy, but the teen pulled away. "Do you not like hugs?"

"What?"

"When I hug you, you get all….jumpy and stuff."

"I- I just-" Roy didn't want to tell him the truth. Dick was just so innocent and happy; Roy didn't have the heart to tell the kid he wasn't used to touch that didn't end with pain. "I'm just….not used to it I guess."

"Not used to it?"

"Yeah Oliver…..never hugged me so I guess I'm just…."

"He didn't?" That kind of made sense. Dick furrowed his brow. "But then…you haven't been hugged in two years?"

"Um….yes…?" A look that was either horror or shock cross Dick's face. Without warning, he practically leaped forward and wrapped his arms around Roy. "Geez! Dick-" Roy stopped. Normally at this point, Dick would let go. Instead, he just kept himself latched onto the teen. Roy sat there awkwardly until Dick finally let go. "What was that about?"

"We gotta make up for lost time."

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna hug you every day."

"Dick?" Bruce's voice came from the hall. He poked his head in. "I told you not to wake Roy up."

"I didn't! He was awake!" Dick protested.

"I-I was," Roy said, trying to keep Dick from getting in trouble.

"Alright." Bruce looked at Dick. "Its time for you to go to bed."

"Awww! Can't I stay up a little later?" Dick asked.

"No."

"But-"

"Bed Dick."

Dick sighed dramatically. "Fine." He got up and gave Roy a smile. "Good night Roy." He left and slipped past Bruce, who ruffled his hair.

"I'll be right in." He looked at Roy, who pulled himself against the headboard. "Did he disturb you?"

Rot shook his head. "No."

"Ok. Uh…since Alfred's with his family you're going to be alone tomorrow."

"Ok." Alone was good. Roy liked being alone.

"Alright." Bruce left and went to Dick's room. He found the boy brushing his teeth in his bathroom. "Don't forget the back ones."

"Hey, I've never had a cavity."

"Good, let's keep it that way."

Dick grinned as he finished. He gave Bruce a hug. "How was your weekend with Roy."

"We're both alive and I think that's all I could've hoped for."

"Oh. Well, don't worry. He'll warm up to you eventually."

"I hope so. Bed."

"I know." He gave Bruce another hug and Bruce returned it. "Night Bruce."

"Night Dick." He didn't tuck Dick in, he'd told Bruce he was "too old" for that now, but he did wait until the boy was settled to turn off the light. He shut the door quietly and went back over to Roy's room. He found Roy sound asleep on top of his blankets again. Bruce grabbed a blanket from the floor and thew it over Roy, covering him up gently. He smoothed out his red hair. "Sleep well, Roy." He turned away, pausing for a moment when he saw the fossil arrow Dick had made propped up on a shelf. He shut the light off and left, hoping Roy would sleep soundly through the night.


	28. Bruce is Trying to Help

A/N: Time for another update! Enjoy!

Much to Bruce's surprise, the following week went so much better than the weekend and gone. As much as he hated to leave Roy alone, he wasn't left with a choice. So he'd left food out for Roy after figuring that if he didn't the teen wouldn't eat, and tried to get home as early as possible. Luckily he had to get out earlier than usual anyways to pick Dick up at school, but it was still 6 hours that left Roy to his own devices. Bruce didn't worry about him causing trouble, he worried about Roy having a panic attack. What if he had a flashback? No one would be there to make sure he was ok. What if he was too scared to eat? He was still too thin to be skipping meals. It was a relief to Bruce to get home and discover that Roy's day had been largely uneventful. The most eventful thing to happen was Bruce walking in on Roy sitting on Dick's bed while Dick was doing his homework. Roy was looking through one of Dick's workbooks and neither of them noticed him, so Bruce quickly hid outside the doorway.

"Do you like it at Gotham Academy?" Roy asked.

"Mostly," Dick answered. "Before I lived with Bruce I'd never gone to a school before so it was weird at first." He looked at Roy. "Did you go to school before you lived with Oliver?"

"Yeah. I went to school on the reservation."

"Which did you like better?"

"I was never a big fan of school, but I'd chose life not the reservation over life with Oliver any day. What grade are you in?"

"4th. You're 14 so you're in….8th grade. Right?"

"I guess."

"Don't you know?"

Bruce decided now was a good time to interrupt the conversation. He walked in and knocked not the open door. "Dick, we have to leave early for patrol tonight."

"Ok."

Roy was still looking through the workbook. Bruce watched him for a second before he walked out. He'd forgotten that Oliver had "homeschooled" Roy for the two years he'd lived with him. It was just now occurring to Bruce that if Roy was going to live with them for the foreseeable future, he would probably need an education. Which was where Bruce ran into the first problem. Roy's existence in the Manor had to be a complete secret. They couldn't formally enroll him anything. The second problem arose not long after that, and it was that Bruce, despite all his knowledge, had no idea how to go about making sure Roy at least got a standard education. He deserved it. It wasn't his fault he'd gotten caught up in this mess, and he deserved to be educated like every other kid. Finding no answer, he decided to discuss it with Alfred when he returned from his trip England. When he did bring it up, the day after Alfred's return to Gotham, he was at least pleased they were on the same page.

"I do agree with your assessment," Alfred said. "Master Roy is in need of a basic education."

"How though?"

Alfred considered it. "It shouldn't be too difficult. I think the best approach would be to build a curriculum for him based off what they teach at Master Dick's school. Given your status, procuring the information and materials we need shouldn't be too hard. I can work with him during the day."

"Are you sure? I would hate to ask you to do so much extra work, Alfred."

"Except you're not asking Master Bruce, I'm volunteering. Besides, this can be my contribution to our collaborative effort. I'm not a teacher, but I think Master Roy and I could succeed in this endeavor." Truthfully, Alfred felt that he could be doing more, and the chance of trying to give Roy some normalcy in his life made him feel better.

"Alfred, have I ever told you how grateful I am to have you around?"

"I do try to earn my keep sir."

Bruce nodded. This wasn't a bad plan. "I want to give him as normal a life as possible."

"Yes, because normal easily found around here."

"Ok. Next step is probably to see what Roy already knows."

"You should probably be prepared for him to be a little behind. Oliver Queen doesn't seem like the type of man who would eagerly help Roy if he struggled."

"You're right about that. I'll find out what 8th grade standards are and see what tests we can give him."

"Very good sir."

Two days later, Roy was watching tv with Dick when Alfred came to get him.

"What's up Alfie?" Dick asked.

"Master Bruce would like to speak with Master Roy in his study."

"He does?" Roy asked. Alfred didn't miss the flash of fear on his face.

"There's no reason to be afraid. He only wants to talk."

Yeah, sure. Roy'd had plenty of "talks" with Oliver. Nonetheless, he nodded and followed Alfred out of the room. While they walked he rubbed his arm nervously and tried to think of anything he'd done wrong. Nothing came to mind. He kept his room clean like Alfred said and went to bed when he was told to. He hadn't talked back, to the best of his knowledge at least. It only made him more nervous as they walked into the study that he didn't know what he'd done to upset Bruce. He tried to figure it out based on Bruce's face when he saw him. Bruce was harder to figure out than Oliver, but Roy could usually still get a good idea. Unfortunately, he had a pretty neutral look, which didn't help Roy any.

"Sit down Roy." Roy sat down in a chair and Bruce sat across from him. Alright, this was new.

"W-what did I do?'

"What?"

"Whatever it was I'm really sorry."

"No Roy, you didn't do anything wrong." Bruce wondered how long it would be until that stopped being Roy's automatic reaction. "Alfred and I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok."

"You're going to be staying with us for….the foreseeable future, so Alfred and I thought that we should start thinking about making sure you have an education."

"Really?"

"Yes. I know it's almost summer right now, but we wanted to give you some tests."

"T-tests?" Fear flashed on Roy's face again.

Bruce decided not to ask. There was no time to for him to want to beat Queen into a bloody pulp right now. "They're all very basic. Math, science, reading. Just you know…usual school stuff."

"Ok." Science? Roy hadn't learned science since he left the reservation.

"What was your curriculum like with Oliver Queen?" Alfred asked.

"Uh….he just left the papers in the library and I did them."

"What subjects were there?"

"Math."

Bruce frowned. "Just math?"

"Reading too. I would read a book and write what it was about."

"Just math and reading?" Roy nodded. "No science, English, history…." Roy shook his head again. On some level, Bruce honestly wasn't surprised.

"He-he wasn't really that concerned with me learning that kind of stuff. He was more focused on my archery." That didn't surprise Bruce at all.

"Well just do your best."

"Ok." Bruce gently guided Roy to sit at his desk and Alfred placed the first its in front of him.

"Take your time sir," Alfred told him. Roy nodded and looked at the test. His heart started pounding when he realized he didn't know most of the answers. Scratch that, he didn't know any of the answers. He swallowed. 'Is it better to get them all wrong?' he wondered. 'Or should I just leave them blank?' Luckily for him, Alfred noticed his panic. "You don't have to answer anything you don't know."

"O-ok." Roy stared at the first question. It looked like gibberish. There were numbers and he could recognize the addition and subtraction signs, but why was there letters?! There were no letters in math! On top of that, there were those parentheses things that he never understood and these strange bars around certain numbers. Even the question made no sense. 'What value of x satisfies both equations above?' What did that even mean?! He moved on to the next question, but that turned out to be just as confusing as the first one. He moved down the page, trying to find a question made sense. It didn't get any better on the second page where had to put something on a grid and find something called a slope. Then the weird…math sentences had not just an x and also a y! In the end, Roy just flipped the three pages over and slid it away.

Alfred picked did up and, even though he was sure he knew what he'd find, he flipped through the test. He handed it to Brice, who did the same. Every question was blank. Alfred gave him a look that suggested they should discuss it with Roy later. "Uh…let's try a different test." Alfred set another one down in front of him. This one didn't make Roy nearly as nervous. The first question had more of those parentheses things, but then the next question was just exponents, and he did know those. Unfortunately, those were the only questions he could figure out. Some questions asked him to find the length of a triangle, how he was supposed to do that without measuring it he had no idea. There was more math with letters and a question about how far a taxi went. He answered a little under half the questions and handed the paper back to Alfred with a shaking hand. Alfred looked it over with a pen quickly, the handed it to Bruce. Bruce looked it over. Roy had answered less than half the questions, and a little more than half of those were correct. "Ok…Alfred?"

"Just one more for math sir," Alfred assured him. When he looked at the questions, Roy was a lot more confident. He could remember learning this stuff before he left the reservation and after he'd started living with Oliver. So he wasn't as worried when he handed the test to Alfred. The butler quickly corrected it and handed it to Bruce. This one Roy did much better on.

"Ok," Bruce nodded. "Now reading." It seemed pointless to test him on anything else.

Roy wondered how they could give him a test on reading. He looked at the test once it was given to him. It was a story with questions. So he started reading, but quickly realized it was too hard. He didn't know a lot of the words, which was a problem since he had to define some of them later on, and the story was kind of hard to follow. The second story was just too full facts and words he couldn't process. So he once again handed Alfred a blank test and another one was placed in front of him. This one went about the same was the first one. There were too many stories that didn't make any sense and words he didn't know. His heart was pounding against his ribs as he handed yet another blank test to Alfred. They gave him a third one, which calmed him down a little bit since he could actually understand the story. He handed it back when he was done. He watched Bruce and Alfred carefully as they talked quietly to each other. His breathing picked up a little bit. 'Oh god, he knows! He knows I'm stupid! He knows how stupid and worthless I am!' This would surely cause Bruce to get frustrated and lash out at him.

"Roy," Bruce said, getting the teen's attention. Roy jumped a little bit and flinched back. "We've looked at them and you….well you failed both the 8th-grade level ones."

"8th?" Roy asked. "That's-that's what I should be able to do, right?"

"Yes. You were able to do better on the 7th-grade math but still didn't know anything, not the 7th-grade reading."

"Is that bad?"

"Not bad," Alfred corrected. "Just…not where one would hope you would be."

"You read at a 6th-grade level and your math skills are below average on a 7th-grade level," Bruce summarized. He expected some kind of shock from Roy, surely the boy couldn't have known this already, but he got none. Instead, Roy just nodded, like he wasn't surprised at all.

"P-please don't tell Dick," he said quietly.

"Tell Dick what?"

"That I'm stupid."

Bruce blinked. "Roy you're not stupid."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you are not," Alfred told him. "You are a little behind, but that does not make you stupid."

"Yes, I am!"

Bruce crouched down so he and Roy were at eye level. "Roy," he said carefully, starting to get the feeling that he might need to watch his temper in the next few minutes, "why do you think you're stupid?"

"I don't think I know. Oliver told me so."

"He did?"

"Yes. He told me I was stupid and that's why I can't do my school work."

"You're not stupid, Roy. Oliver was wrong and he shouldn't have told you that."

"But-"

"No buts. You're not stupid. I'm sure your inability to do your work was more due to Oliver not helping you."

"He-he said it was pointless to help me. He said I was too stupid and he got too aggravated and that I was only good for archery anyways."

"Only good for archery?" Alfred questioned cautiously.

Roy nodded. "He-he said I was worthless and only good for shooting because it was the only good thing I could do."

Bruce had to turn away to hide the anger from Roy. Fury was coursing through his veins and his fingers were twitching to get around Oliver's throat and squeeze until every last breath had left his lungs. Luckily Alfred was there. The old butler knelt down so he could look Roy in the eye. "Master Roy, you are not stupid, nor are you worthless. Mr. Queen should not have told you those things. I am sure once we begin working on your schoolwork together you shall see that." Roy didn't look certain about that. Bruce managed to get his anger under control and turned back around.

"Given how far behind you are, I'll give you choice on how we can go about this," he said, trying to sound a lot calmer than he actually felt. "We can wait until the fall and you can try to start catching up from there. Or, you and Alfred can work over the summer to get you caught up so that you're ready to start with high school level work in the fall."

"High school?" Roy asked in confusion. That made sense. He was a teenager. He was supposed to be starting high school

"The choice is absolutely yours, sir," Alfred said, standing up. "If you feel you are not up to intensive academic studies just yet, we can put it off."

"Um….can-can we get caught up over the summer?" Roy didn't want to be so far behind that he was still doing middle school work when he should've been able to do high school level work.

"Of course sir."

"And you're going to-to help me?"

"Of course sir. I shall be your teacher."

Roy's initial reaction was to figure Alfred would leave him to his own devices upon releasing how stupid he was, but that didn't really seem like something he'd do. Alfred was always really friendly and never seemed to lose patience with any of them; even when Dick was climbing the chandelier. He hated getting his hopes up, as he'd done so many times with Oliver, only to see them crushed, but he couldn't help but feel cautiously optimistic about this. "Ok. Thank you."

Alfred smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

"You also shouldn't worry about Dick," Bruce said. "We had to get him caught up a little bit too when he started living here so he could go to school. He's ahead of the curve now and soon you will be too," Bruce assured the teen.

"Ok," Roy nodded. "I promise I'll try really hard."

"All we want is for you to do your best." Bruce was pleased when Alfred gave him a nod. For once he'd managed to say the right thing. This was something said to Dick frequently about school, which always got him praise from Alfred. He reached out to squeeze Roy's shoulder, but the teen ducked out of his reach. Bruce retracted the hand quickly. For a moment he'd thought he might actually be able to touch Roy, but clearly, he'd been wrong.

"You should probably return to Master Dick," Alfred said. "He's no doubt wondering where you've gone off to."

"Ok," Roy said. He slipped out of his seat and quickly left the room.

Bruce sighed. "I thought we were making progress."

"Progress is slow," Alfred reminded him.

"I shouldn't expect him to trust me."

"He will in time sir."

"I remind him too much of Oliver."

"The only thing you can do is give Master Roy time to get used to you and realized you and Oliver Queen are very different people."

Bruce sighed as he sat down at his desk. "What if he never does Alfred? What if Roy can't overcome his fear of being around me?"

"I know it's not your strong suit sir, but try to think optimistically. Master Roy won't get better if you don't believe in him. You must have confidence in his ability to overcome the terrible things that have been done to him, as well as your ability to help him overcome them."

Bruce gave Alfred an amused look. "You never fail to impress me, Alfred."

"So glad I've made an impression sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I must see to lunch or I'll have Master Dick snooping around my kitchen."

"We wouldn't want that." Alfred left and Bruce sat back in his seat. No matter what Alfred said, he couldn't shake the thought that Roy would never be able to trust him. Not that Bruce would blame him. The way Oliver had treated him for two years was beyond inexcusable. He didn't want to give Roy the impression that his trauma was unconquerable; that was a thing he most definitely did not want to do. Yet he still couldn't bring himself to believe that Roy could ever truly trust him. Maybe the best he could hope for quiet indifference. He got up and left the room. After a few minutes, he found Dick and Roy watching tv in the den. Dick wasn't really watching, but instead distracting himself with some gadget he'd taken from the bat cave. Roy seemed oblivious to it. Bruce noticed the way he no longer sat curled up into a tight ball. He looked relaxed and calm, which was new for him. He also didn't miss the way Roy kept glancing at the windows. It was another nice day in Gotham, two in months had to be a record, and Bruce could see the appeal. He knew Roy wanted to go outside, but he couldn't get him out there. If he told him that he could Roy would just nod, but then stay away from any doors. If he left the backdoors open Roy would just sit beside them. 'Not today,' Bruce decided. 'I'm going to get him outside today.'

He spent the next couple of hours trying to think of a way. There was always having Dick do it, but then he figured Alfred would give him another 'you need to show more interest in Roy' lecture, so he decided against it. In the end, he just decided that if they all went outside, him, Dick, and Roy, then it should make Roy comfortable enough to go out. If Dick was around Roy could usually be calm enough to do a lot of things. So, during lunch, Bruce brought up his plan. "Dick I was thinking this afternoon we should do our training outside."

"Cool!" Dick liked the prospect of spending the afternoon outside with Bruce. He looked at Roy. "Are you coming outside with us too?"

"Um…." Roy looked down at his plate.

"Roy can come if he wants to," Bruce said, glancing at the teen.

"Are you going to shoot your news bows?!" Dick asked excitedly. "You haven't even used them yet."

Again, Roy looked down. "If-if Bruce says it's ok," he said quietly.

"If you want to come out with us and shoot that's fine."

"Thank you." Roy didn't say anything else, but Bruce was at least satisfied to have gotten this far. So after lunch, he and Dick got ready for their afternoon of sparring while Roy grabbed his bow. He picked the recurve since it was the most familiar of the two and grabbed one of the quivers, as well as an arm-guard. He strapped the quiver to his back and strapped the arm guard to his forearm. He went downstairs to the back door where Dick was waiting for him.

"Come on!" Dick grabbed Roy's hand and, before the teen could stop him, dragged Roy outside. The sunlight was a lot brighter outside than he had been expecting. Once he adjusted though, the warmth on his face as welcomed. He smiled. He loved being outside. "Need help setting up the target?"

"Sure." Roy set the bow down and Dick helped him get the circular target propped up.

"It's really heavy."

"It has to be to catch arrows. They hit hard."

"Cool." They walked away from the target and found Bruce had joined them. Roy swallowed nervously and he quickly picked up his bow. "Show us what you can do!"

"Um….ok." Roy pulled an arrow from the quiver and nocked it. He raised the bow and pulled back the bowstring. '15 yards.' Child's play. He released the arrow and it hit the target.

"Bullseye!" Dick cheered. "That was sweet!"

"What kind of range can you shoot?" Bruce asked.

"50 yards," Roy answered. He backed up and Bruce and Dick followed him. He shot again, then again, driving two more arrows into the target center.

"That's amazing!" Dick smiled. "You're really good."

"Thanks."

Bruce nodded. As much as he hated how Oliver had used Roy, he could see why Oliver had picked Roy. The kid was a good shot. "Come on Dick, let Roy shoot in peace."

"Awwww," Dick whined.

"You and I have sparring to do."

"Ok."

They left and Roy moved closer to the target. He ignored Bruce and Dick while he shot. Of course, he didn't miss, he never missed, and nailed arrow after arrow into the center of the target. Once he emptied his quiver he retrieved the arrows from the target and reloaded. He kept shooting without regard for what was going on around him. He moved closer and farther away from the target as he went, changing his speeds at random so that he was shooting slow or at his top speed. After a couple of hours, he stopped to roll hoo shoulders and stretched his arms. He reached back for another arrow, then froze when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone yelling. He turned around to see Bruce swing at Dick and Dick blocked it with his arms. Roy tried to catch his breath, but that was kind of hard. His breathing kept getting shallower and faster. He closed his eyes and dropped his bow so he could put his hands over his ears. He could still hear them though. 'No, no, no, no, no, no!' He fell to his knees and Oliver grabbed his shoulder. He threw Roy not his back and punched him in the face. "No! No please stop!"

"Roy."

"No, Ollie please!" Oliver just kept punching him. In the face, the stomach. Nowhere was safe. "Ollie please!"

"Roy it's not real!"

"Please stop!" Another punch to the stomach knocked the wind out of him. He was gasping for breath and someone touched his shoddier. He tried to move way but he couldn't move.

"Roy, it's ok! You're safe!" That-that was Dick's voice! No! Dick couldn't be here! He couldn't see this!

"Roy, Oliver isn't here." That was Bruce. "He isn't here, you're safe. Just breathe."

Roy tried. He tried to focus on just his breathing. He realized he was outside. He was laying on the grass staring up at the sky. Bruce and Dick were leaning over him. "I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Dick asked as Roy sat up.

"I-I-" He blinked and curled up into a ball. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Bruce assured him. "It's not your fault."

"Is it because we were sparring?" Dick asked gently. "Did it remind you of what Oliver did?"

"Dick-" Bruce said in a warning tone.

"Because it isn't like that Roy! Bruce wasn't really hurting me!"

"Dick back off. Don't scare him more."

Roy took a deep breath and slowly took his face out of his legs. "I'm-"

"Don't apologize," Dick told him.

"Roy, what happened?" Bruce asked gently.

Roy took a deep breath and lifted his head out of his knees. "O-Ollie was hitting me. He was punching me and it hurt and he wouldn't stop…" HIs face disappeared back into his knees. Dick reached out to put his hand on Roy'd back, but Bruce stopped him. He shook his head at his younger ward, then turned his attention back to Roy.

"That was then Roy. That was in Star, not here in Gotham."

"Can-can I go back inside?"

Bruce felt something side of him deflate. "Yeah go ahead." Roy got up and grabbed his bow. He shuffled back into the Manor so he could go lay down. He felt so drained all he wanted to do was lay in his bed and look at the wall.

"Bruce, what happened to him?" Dick asked.

"Roy had a flashback, Dick."

Dick frowned. "Flashback?"

"He was reliving something traumatic."

"Why?"

"Everyone reacts to trauma in a different way."

"So this is just how he's reacting?"

"Yes."

"Will they stop?"

"I don't know. I hope that they will in time." He put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "I think we can agree though, that there will be no more sparring in front of Roy."

Dick nodded. "Agreed."

"Good. Come on, let's get back to work."


	29. Things Get Worse

A/N: I know I usually update on Sundays, but today is a special day so I'm updating today. Enjoy!

"How's Roy doing?" Everyone looked at Flash. "Is he….adjusting ok?"

Superman didn't miss the way Batman's jaw tightened. Oh, this wouldn't be good. "Is he doing ok?" Superman asked cautiously when Batman didn't answer after a minute.

"He's 14 and should be starting high school in the fall. He's 14 and he reads at a 6th-grade level." Everyone stared at him for a minute.

"Wait, what?" Flash asked.

"Yes. Agent A and I have been assessing what his academic abilities are after Queen "homeschooled" him for two years."

"Are the results bad?" Wonder Woman asked.

"It's not good," Green Lantern replied.

Batman nodded. "He's still barely capable of 7th-grade level work," he said.

"Well Oliver Queen isn't a great teacher, we'll give him that," Flash said.

"It's not just that. Roy told me that Queen barely helped him. He gave Roy work and didn't teach him anything. The only subjects covered were math and reading."

"Like I said: definitely not a teacher."

"Queen told Roy he was stupid." There was a minute of silence as everyone processed what he'd said. "He told Roy that he was stupid." Just repeating the words had him clenching his fists so tight his knuckles were white.

"Roy didn't believe him right?" Superman asked.

"Gee, I don't know Clark. The man who was taking care of him didn't help him learn anything and spent two years telling him he was stupid. What do you think?"

"It is detestable," Martian Manhunter said. "Why would he say these things?"

"God help the man who tries to understand Oliver Queen's mindset," Flash said. "I'm going out on a limb and guessing that Roy doesn't have great self-esteem."

"Queen told him he was worthless, so yes." Silence descended on the group once again. "He….told Roy that he was worthless and the only thing on this Earth that he was good for was archery."

"Murder is illegal," Superman said under his breath.

"I'd probably be doing the world a service by getting rid of him."

"Well, we'll never know."

"I'm not sure Queen could sink any lower," Aquaman said.

"Please don't say that!" Flash begged. "It's almost as bad as 'how can this possibly get any worse?' "

"How can it-?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Shhhh!"

Batman's com beeped. "Robin," he said answering it.

"Bat signal's up," Robin told him.

"I'll be right there." He stood up.

"What happened?" Green Lantern asked.

"The Bat signal is up." Batman left the meeting room and zetaed back down to Gotham. He met Robin at the rendezvous point, just outside the bat cave, and the two of them headed for the Gotham Police Station. Once they were a few blocks away he hid the Batmobile and they took to the rooftops. He landed in the shadows behind the signal and Robin landed next to him a second later. "Commissioner."

Commissioner Gordon turned around. "What do you know about this?"

Batman stepped out of the shadows to examine the object in the man's hand. "Where did you get this?" he growled as his hands tightened around the green arrow.

"It was found sticking out of a dead body."

"Where?"

"Shopping district."

"When?"

"A couple of hours ago."

"The Green Arrow has been in Gotham?" Robin asked.

"It looks that way."

"How many people did he kill?"

"Just the one. I've got extra cops out there now canvasing for more potential victims."

The door that led to the roof banged open. "Commissioner!" the officer said, running over. He was out of breath when he reached them. "Here." He headed something to Gordon that made Batman's eyes narrow. A red arrow.

"Where was this found?" Gordon asked.

"I dunno. Somewhere in the Narrows."

"Narrows?" Robin frowned. He looked up at Batman. "That's on the opposite side of the city from the first victim."

"Was there just one body?" Gordon asked the cop.

"Yes sir," he answered.

"Ok. Call into the other precincts. I want that beat doubled, understand?"

"Yes, sir." The officer left and Gordon handed the arrow to Batman. "Do you know why the Green Arrow is in Gotham?"

"No," Batman lied. "However Commissioner, I intend to find out."

"Good. I'm friends with Commissioner Lance in Star City. He's told me about the Green Arrow and what he does. I don't want his problems here."

"If there are more sightings of Green Arrow tell your officers to stand down. Get any civilians inside and do not engage him. Green Arrow is dangerous and unstable."

"We're all used dangerous and unstable around here."

"Still. Put up the Bat signal if he's seen again."

Gordon nodded. "Alright. I'm going to call Commissioner Lance. See if he has any idea why this psycho decided to show up in Gotham." Batman turned to leave, Robin right behind him. Once they got to the Bat mobile he looked at his mentor worriedly.

"Green Arrow has no idea where Speedy is, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Batman confirmed. "He also has no way of finding out."

"Why would he shoot someone with one of Speedy's arrows then?"

"He's playing with me and making sure I know why he's doing this."

"He's really brave coming into Gotham." If Batman didn't scare off other heroes and villains, the Gotham villains certainly did.

"It's not bravery, it's stupidity."

"Why are going back to the Bat Cave? Shouldn't we be going to the crime scenes?"

"You're going back to the Bat Cave. I'm going to the crimes scenes."

"What? No! Let me come with you!"

"No."

"Batman-"

"No, Robin! Kid Flash and Aqualad were lucky Green Arrow didn't kill them! You're going back and you're going to stay there! Is that understood?"

Robin sighed. "Yes, understood." They pulled into the Batcave and he jumped out; quite literally.

"Robin." Robin looked at him. "Don't tell Roy."

"Ok." The Bat mobile left and Robin sulked over to the computer.

"I take it the meeting with the Commissioner went well Master Robin?" Alfred asked as the young boy sat down.

"Green Arrow has been in Gotham," Robin responded, already logging the two murders into the computer.

"Has he?"

"He killed two people."

"I take it he is here looking for Master Roy."

"Kind of. Batman says he doesn't know where Roy is for sure. He's just trying to get under the Justice League's skin."

"I dare say it might be working."

"He's got them mad."

"I shall go check on Master Roy. See if he is finally sleeping through the night."

"Mhm." Robin didn't even look at him as he left. If Green Arrow was still in Gotham Batman would find him.

— —

As it would turn out, Green Arrow apparently didn't stick around. Batman had found no further victims or any trace of where Green Arrow had gone. Oliver Queen wasn't officially in Gotham either, so that lead turned into a dead end. Batman did inform Superman of the latest development. (Only to receive an immediate "Please tell me he's not dead".) The next couple of days he kept a close eye on Gotham and the police scanners, listening for any sign that Green Arrow had killed more civilians. He did do his best not to let his tension show in the Manor. Roy remained oblivious to how close Oliver had come to finding him, which was the way Bruce intended to keep it. Luckily Roy was busy trying to catch up on his school work with Alfred. The two of them worked most of the morning and after lunch, Roy worked more on his own, with Alfred checking on him and offering help when he needed it.

Alfred quickly discovered two things. One: it was easy to tell when Roy needed something explained because he started trying to eat his eraser and got really anxious. Two: Roy was definitely not stupid. He wasn't as good at math as Dick was, but he was still very bright. He caught on quickly and usually only needed it explained once. After the first week, he improved almost exponentially and Alfred put the papers on Bruce's desk; right on top of the papers, he was going over for Wayne Enterprises.

"He is not stupid," Alfred said. "Master Roy is very smart and a fast learner."

"That's good," Bruce nodded.

"Have there been any more sightings of Oliver Queen?"

"No. It's been over a week and there's been no more murders with his M.O."

"I must say, sir, I am still surprised he dared show his face here."

"So is the League. My city is the only one he killed people in you know."

Alfred blinked. "It is?"

Bruce nodded. "Everywhere else he just injured the civilians. My investigation found the two people killed were just random passerbys. Neither of them had criminal records. They were just….disposable to him."

"He has no value for human life."

"If he valued his own life he wouldn't have committed murder in my city."

"He still has no idea where Roy is here?"

"None. The less Queen knows the better."

"And Master Roy?"

"I don't want him to get worked up over nothing."

"Sir, it's hardly nothing if the man who abused him is sneaking into Gotham looking for him."

"The only thing Roy needs to focus on is getting better."

"Hmmm. You're probably right. It wouldn't help to worry him anymore."

"Queen isn't getting near him ever again. I'll make sure of it." Bruce didn't even want to think about what Oliver might do to Roy if he ever got him back. It made him sick to his stomach. "He's not hurting Roy again."

"When you're determined sir, nothing can stop you."

"If Oliver gets him back…..I can't let it happen, Alfred. He's too smart. Too skilled. Too good a kid to be treated that way."

Alfred smiled. It was nice to see that Roy had worked his way into Bruce's heart in the 2 months he'd been with them. Not that Bruce would admit to caring about Roy. "If anyone can keep him safe, it is you, sir."

"Thank you, Alfred."

Unbeknownst to them, Roy was standing outside the office door. He silently slipped away undetected and went upstairs to his room. He shut the door behind himself and slid down until he was sitting on the ground. It was wrong to eavesdrop, but he hadn't meant to do it. He'd heard Alfred ask if there were sightings of Ollie- of Oliver and he'd listened in. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly.

'He was here….' Roy thought slowly. 'He was in Gotham…. He killed people.' Not just people. Innocent civilians. Part of Roy's brain, a small part, immediately wanted to deny it. 'He wouldn't….' Except Roy could honestly believe he would. Oliver had never seemed to care how severe a crime was. Criminals were all the same to him. A memory Roy thought he'd successfully repressed started to surface and he shook his head. 'What happened "everywhere else"? Has Oliver been hurting more people?' Someone knocked on his door. He jumped up and stumbled away from it. "C-come in."

Bruce opened the door. "Alfred told me you've been doing a good job with-"

"How many people has Oliver hurt?" Roy asked suddenly.

Bruce blinked. "What?"

Roy swallowed. If Bruce hit him, he hit him. It didn't matter at this point. He had to know. "I-I overheard you and Alfred talking earlier."

"You….where?"

"In your study. I was behind the door in the hall."

That actually impressed Bruce. Roy had snuck up on them, overheard the conversation, and snuck off without being detected by either man. 'Focus Wayne,' he reminded himself. If Roy overheard hone that meant…..oh shit. "Roy-"

"You said everywhere else he only injured civilians. Where is everywhere else and who may people did he hurt?"

Bruce sighed. "53 people in Central City from his arrows and him causing an explosion at the Flash museum. 25 in Metropolis. 34 in Coast City."

"And the two dead here in Gotham."

"Yes."

Roy stumbled backward onto his bed. "He-he hurt all those people. They weren't criminals."

"No. Oliver has been threatening to continue until we give you back."

"Then-"

"Roy don't say you should go back because it won't happen."

"I'm causing so much trouble…."

Bruce thought carefully about what he said next. "Roy….did you want the people in Central City to get hurt?"

"What?"

"It's a very simple question. Did you want the people in Central City to get hurt?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"What about Metropolis?"

"No."

"Coast City?"

"No…."

"Did you want him to kill those two people here in Gotham?"

"….No."

"Then, logically, are you the one causing the trouble?"

"….No?" He pulled his knees up to his chest again. "I-I guess not…."

"Roy, Oliver is an adult. He's capable of making his own informed decisions, and these are the decisions he made. None of it is on you." He could tell it was taking Roy a few minutes to process this.

"So….he's a murderer?"

"Yes, Roy he is."

"Then….am I a murderer?"

"No! Of course not!" Bruce knelt down in front of him. "Roy look at me." Roy did. "Oliver lied to you. He abused you and manipulated you. You weren't as willing in that partnership as you think."

"I….really?"

"Roy, believe me. You're not a killer."

Roy knew Bruce was only saying this because he didn't know about that guy he'd killed on his last night in Star. "Is there any good in Oliver?" That took Bruce by surprise.

"If you want my honest opinion….no. I don't. I don't think there's a good fiber in his entire body."

Roy was quiet for a minute, then in a whisper, Bruce heard, "He doesn't care about me, does he?"

"No, Roy. He doesn't."

"…..ok…" Bruce gained no satisfaction in this revelation. Roy seems to fold in on himself more and Bruce took this as a sign to leave. He stood up. "Oliver doesn't care about you Roy, but that doesn't mean no one does."

"I guess…" was the muffled reply. "Like Alfred and Dick."

"Exactly." Bruce nodded, feeling like he might've somehow managed to accomplish something positive with Roy for once.

"Can-can I be alone?"

"Of course." Bruce took one last worried look at Roy; who was still curled up in a ball on his bed. Once he was gone Roy buried his face in his legs.

'I'm so stupid….' he thought miserably. 'How could I believe Oliver cared about me?' Why should Oliver have cared about him? What was he except a lonely orphan who kept getting passed from one guardian to the next? He took a deep breath. "Oliver doesn't care about me," he said in a shaky voice. "He doesn't care." Maybe Bruce didn't either but then again why should he? All Roy had really done for him so far was get two people in his city killed and put Dick in more danger. "I can behave. I'll be good. If I'm good then Bruce won't hate me like Oliver does." He nodded to himself. He could do this. Living here he had Dick to keep him company, and Alfred teaching him. He was fed and allowed to go outside. Even if Bruce hit him, Roy figured he could handle it. "It's ok. It's ok. Everything is ok."

— —

"Batman, did something happen to Roy?" Robin as he put his mask on.

"Why?"

"He seems….distant."

"He found out what Queen has been up to."

Robin frowned at Batman as he pulled his cape on. "I thought we weren't going to tell him?"

"It couldn't be avoided. He overheard Alfred and I talking earlier."

"He was eavesdropping?"

"He was outside the study. I didn't know he had there until he confessed earlier."

Robin smirked. "Someone snuck up on you?"

"Quiet. Get your belt. Poison Ivy escaped from Arkham."

"With that kind of stealth he'd be great on the streets of Gotham," Robin said as he pulled his utility belt on. "To the Bat mobile!" He did a backflip and took off.

Batman watched him for a second. 'With that kind of stealth….'

— —

It wasn't a great sign for the night when Roy saw the car thief. He nocked an arrow to his bow and shot the crowbar out of the thief's hand. Said offender jumped back in shocked as the metal clanged down on the empty street. Speedy jumped down from his vantage point, keeping an arrow pointed at the criminal. Green Arrow had told him not to leave his position, but the younger vigilante was eager to please his mentor, which had led to his intervening with this situation. "You shouldn't the done that," he said, trying to sound a lot more intimating than his 12-year-old self.

The thief backed up against the car he'd been trying to break into. "You-you're Green Arrow's kid!" he stuttered.

"The name's Speedy." The thief tried to run, but Speedy reacted faster and shot an arrow that snagged the hood of the guy's sweater and pinned him to the car. He reached for another arrow, only to freeze.

"Please dude," the 14-year-old would be thief pleaded. "Just let me go. Don't let Green Arrow catch me. I'll go straight home. Promise."

Speedy tried to keep the hesitation off his face as he aimed another arrow at the teen's chest. "You broke the law."

"Come on man! Please!"

Speedy swallowed. He exhaled and eased back his bowstring. He put the arrow back in his quiver, then walked over and jerked the arrow trapping the teen free. "Get out of here."

"Thanks, man." The teenager took off running down the street, not bothering to look back. Speedy watched him go, still holding the arrow. Out of nowhere, a green arrow hit the escaping teen right between his shoulder blades. Speedy gasped. The teen let out a strangled cry as blood quickly soaked the back of his shirt. He dropped to the ground and didn't move. The red arrow slipped from Speedy's fingertips. He turned around to look for Green Arrow, only for something to hit him in the head and his world to go dark.

When he came to Roy realized he was still in his suit. His head swam as he sat up and took in his surroundings. Gone was the city, replaced instead by the arsenal. His mask was gone, as were his bow and quiver. He didn't have time to really recover though before someone grabbed his hair and jerked him to his feet.

"Ah!" he cried out in pain.

"Shut it!" Oliver growled at him. His fingers dug into the boy's scalp, sending pain radiating through his head and down his spine. Through the pain, Roy could just barely see they were heading for the shooting range. Confusion joined his pain. Why was Oliver taking him there? The pain was suddenly gone as Oliver forced him against the wall. "Stay!"

Roy blinked. His heart stopped when he realized he was standing in the shooting alley. "O-Ollie….what-"

"Shut up!" Oliver snapped. He stood at the other end of the alley and nocked an arrow to his bow. Fear climbed up Roy's insides. An arrow shot at him and snagged the shoulder of his shirt. He flinched as another one pinned his other shoulder to the wall as well. "Why." An arrow hit right next to his neck. "Did." The other side of his neck. "You." One skimmed his ear. "Let." One snagged his pants. "Him." Another snagged his other leg. "Go!" Roy whimpered. He was pinned to the wall, unable to move at all. He couldn't even move his head. Another arrow hit just inside his thigh. "Well?!"

"I-I'm sorry Ollie! He was only a kid! I-I thought-"

"You just thought you'd let a criminal get away!"

"Ollie please-"

"Shut up!" He shot another arrow, which landed just between Roy's fingers. Roy was still whimpering. "You little shit!" Oliver lowered his bow, much to Roy's relief. He approached the boy and slapped him when he was close enough. He grabbed Roy's chin. "Do not ever…" He kneed Roy in the stomach. "Ever." His hand moved down to Roy's throat. "Ever!" He started squeezing. "Do that again!"

"Yes, Ollie."

Oliver pulled the arrows out and grabbed Roy by his hair again. He dragged the boy upstairs, completely unfazed by the pleas and cries of pain. He dragged Roy into his bedroom and threw him on the ground. "Stay." Roy curled up into a ball. He was in Oliver's bedroom, which only meant bad things. Oliver grabbed his arm and shoved Roy towards the trunk. "In."

"Ollie please-" Oliver kicked him in the knees and Roy fell forward. His guardian took the opportunity shove him into the trunk. Knowing it was useless to fight, Roy just let it happen. He got one last look at the furious look on Oliver's face before the lid was slammed shut, casting him into darkness-

Roy gasped and scrambled against his blankets. He couldn't breathe! Oh god, he couldn't breathe! Distantly he could hear someone saying his name.

"-oy! Breathe! In….! Out…! In….! Out…!"

He followed the instructions of the voice, trying to slow down his breathing.

"You're in Gotham. You're in the Manor. Oliver isn't here." Roy finally managed to get his breathing under control. He realized Bruce was sitting on his bed. He curled up into a ball and put his face in his legs. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Roy sniffed. "I-I tried so hard to forget…."

"Forget what?"

He lifted his head up. "W-when I was 12….I stopped a car their who was 14. He was only 14! He was almost my age!"

"It's ok. It's ok."

"I-I let him go but then Oliver shot him and he-" Bruce didn't say anything as Roy took a minute. "Oliver shot arrows at me and pinned me to a wall….and then he took me to his bedroom….." Roy didn't go on and for a moment Bruce felt horror and anger sliding through him.

"What happened next?" he asked in a measured voice.

"He l-locked me in the footlocker." Bruce had never been so relieved in all his life.

"It's ok Roy. You're safe now."

Roy buried his face again. "He was so mad at me."

"You didn't deserve it."

"But I let the criminal get away."

"No, Roy. You tried to save the life of a kid who still could've seen the error of his ways and turned his life around. What you did took courage."

"It didn't feel like it when Oliver was hitting me. It felt like it was pointless." Bruce wanted to tell Roy it wasn't pointless. That valuing human life, even that of a lowly criminal, is a noble cause. It didn't seem like it would help though. His words were hit or miss when it came to Roy. He just didn't trust Bruce enough to listen. Roy wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"I disturbed you."

"No, you didn't. We just got back from patrol."

Roy frowned. "Where's Dick?" Normally when he had a nightmare Dick was there to calm him down.

"In the Bat Cave. He played gardener with some of Poison Ivy's plants and she didn't take it well."

"Is-is he ok?"

"He'll be fine. Some scratches from thorns and some bruises." Roy didn't look convinced. "He's really ok Roy. After dealing with an Arkham inmate, injuries like that are a good night for us. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"Ok." Roy laid down and Bruce pulled the blanket over him.

"Sleep well, Roy." Bruce left the room, shutting the door silently behind him. He had to do more to help Roy. That much was obvious. His nightmares weren't going away and flashbacks were becoming more frequent. 'There has to be a way to help him.' He thought back to what Dick had said right before patrol. An idea started forming in his head. Maybe it was stupid and maybe it was crazy, but then again the Justice League had said the same thing about Robin. "I know how to help Roy."


	30. How Roy Met Oliver

A/N: Hi guys! First, this story has over 100 reviews, so thank you so much to everyone who reviews that's amazing! Also, just so no one gets confused, this one of two flashback chapters that takes place two years before the start of the story. Its a nice long one so Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!

The moments before an archery tournament began were the most nerve-wracking for Roy. He did a quick check to make sure his bow was strung properly, even though he'd checked it twice already. His fingers ran over the quiver; counting the arrows and checking that no fletchings had fallen off. It was kind of stupid, but his mind worried about the smallest details when he was competing. He adjusted his arm guard again, then re-adjusted it. A couple of his competitors gave him smug looks. He could practically see the thought bubbles above their heads.

'Oh, a 12-year-old? Who does he think he is? I'll beat this kid easily.'

Technically, Roy knew he should've been competing in the 'Under 18' category, but he'd won so many medals there that they'd allowed him to be moved up. His skills far surpassed those of people his own age. This was his first time in the adult category though, so he wasn't sure how well he'd fare. Some of the archers were people from or around the reservation who'd seen Roy competing before. They saw the smug looks the newcomers were giving him and hid smug looks of their own. Boy were they in for a surprise. Two sharp whistle blasts pierced the air. Roy stepped in line with the others. He was very aware of how small he looked compared to them. He stood a little straighter. The butterflies in his stomach hadn't stopped. They only flew faster. They were given the signal and he carefully selected an arrow. He nocked it securely to the bowstring. He noted the person he was sharing a target with already had his string drawn. Another signal.

Roy raised his bow and drew back the string. He took a deep breath and the butterflies stopped. Three whistle blows. He didn't even have to think. He aimed and his fingers slipped off the bowstring. He had three minutes to keep shooting and two more arrows he could shoot. He could've shot three times as many in that amount of time. However, this wasn't free shooting at the house. He had to follow the competition rules. He nocked another arrow, much slower than the first. He carefully took aim again and shot the second arrow. The third arrow he did even slower than his second one. He still had plenty of time to shoot. He lined up his third one perfectly and released. He smiled as three whistle blows stopped the shooting.

Three bullseyes.

Not just three—his arrows were all in a perfect line with the middle one in the direct center of the target. The man who'd shot on the same target had made one bullseye by comparison. Roy was awarded 30 points, which put him in first place going into the second round. They were given the last signal and he ran forward to retrieve his arrows. He pulled them out of the target and put them back in his quiver. His competitor didn't say anything, which was fine by him. Roy joined Brave Bow on the sidelines, sitting on the ground next to his father's seat.

"Being a bit a show off today, aren't we Roy?" he asked the boy.

Roy smiled sheepishly. "I was just trying to make an impression."

Brave Bow chuckled as he ruffled his son's red hair. A couple of the men glanced back at them, then turned away whispering again. "Well, you've definitely done that." He was still proud of Roy; a perfect score was exceptional and it was worth it to see the boy smile. He'd been so depressed the last couple of months, and Brave Bow had acted as though he didn't hear him crying in his room at night. He grimaced, glad Roy was too distracted to see the look of pain on his face. The boy had offered to forgo the competition this year in favor of sitting at home with him, but he'd refused. They both needed to get out of the house and Roy had a reputation to uphold. Besides, this was likely the last competition on the reservation he'd participate in. He didn't want his son to miss it.

After another preliminary round, they called Roy's number and he jumped to his feet. "Be right back."

"Good luck. Shoot straight."

Roy went to the judging table so they could verify his number and he joined the other archers. Some of the adults how'd watched the first round regarded him with suspicion. He shrugged it off. The only person he was here to impress with his father. The whistle signaled for them to line up and he let his fingers graze the arrows again. Another signal and his bow was nocked. This time it was 6 arrows in three minutes. Still not much of a challenge for him, but it also didn't mean he couldn't have some fun. The timer started and he shot the first arrow. it hit the dead center of the target. He kept firing without stopping this finished with 30 seconds to spare and admired his handiwork. This time the arrows were arranged in two rows of three. They landed so precisely that the fletchings just barely touched each other. The timer stopped and Roy caught his opponent giving him a stink eye. He was awarded 60 points and retrieved his arrows.

"Making another impression?" Brave Bow asked as Roy sat down on the ground next to him.

"Just having some fun," Roy grinned. He froze and turned around.

"Something wrong Roy?"

"No. I just….thought I felt someone watching me."

"You're 12 and shooting circles around men twice your age. Everyone is watching you, my son."

Roy smiled again. "If everyone's watching I should make sure I give them a good show."

Brave Bow chuckled and ruffled his hair again. Normally Roy would complain and pull away like he had been the last two years, but these weren't normal times for their small family. The standings were posted a few minutes later and Roy went to go check his. "Well?"

"Second place going into semi-finals!"

"That's very good."

"Think I'll get another first place medal?"

"Wouldn't you rather get a second or third place? You have so many first place medals."

"Yeah but this one would look great on my wall." HIs number was called again. "I'm off to get it."

"Shoot straight."

This time the adult archers regarded him with a lot of what he assumed was jealousy. One man, in particular, gave him a dirty look and Roy gave him an arrogant smirk. He was the best archer on the reservation, adult or child, and after today everyone would know it. He glanced back at his father. Especially Brave Bow. They were called into line again. This time he got a target all to himself. Maximum of 10 arrows in two minutes. That was closer to his speed, but still pretty slow. The timer started and he wasted no time firing. His arrows hit the target with methodic thumps! The man at the target next to him saw what Roy had done and cursed. This time Roy had made an 'X' through the center ring with his arrows. The people who knew Roy simply shook their heads. The visitors looked pissed. He was awarded 100 points, retrieved his arrows, then joined his father.

"You aren't exactly making a lot of friends," Brave Bow commented as two of the men went over to the judges' table. He could tell they were complaining about Roy's antics based on how they kept gesturing towards him.

"I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win."

"Yes, I know that."

The judges said something that seemed to at least partially appease the men, who stalked off, still very angry. One of the judges caught Roy's eye and gestured for him to come over. "Looks like I'm in trouble."

"Be polite."

Roy walked over to the table at his own pace. He wasn't in a hurry to have the judges call him a "show-off" and a "cocky brat" as he'd often heard at these. "Can I help you?"

"Son we've received several complaints about your conduct during this competition," one of the judges said.

"Conduct? What do you mean? Have I said something to offend or demean someone?"

"Well no, but-"

"Oh then did I cheat?"

"Not that we can tell-"

"How has my conduct been reportable then?"

The judge glared at him. "Your sportsmanship is reprehensible."

"Me?" Roy faked a scandalous look. "I would never. What sportsmanship rule from the rule book have I broken?"

"Believe me, I'm looking for one," another judge said, flipping through said book.

The first judge sighed. "The other competitors feel….threatened-"

"I'm not threatening anyone," Roy defended. "I'm just shooing to the best of my ability. Isn't that the point of an archery competition?"

"…Yes, I suppose it is."

"So I haven't broken any rules and I'm just shooting my best, then why are we speaking?"

"Just tone it down Roy," the third judge said. He was a frequent judge to competitions in the area and he was very familiar with the redhead. He couldn't deny Roy had skill, but the kid's ego was usually getting the best of him. "Please?"

Roy smiled. "Would you prefer I don't shoot to the best of my ability? You want me to throw the match?"

"Never mind," the first judge said quickly. "Just go."

"Nice talking with you gentlemen." Roy left with a smirk, knowing full well he'd won that conversation. He couldn't care less if the adults felt threatened by his skill. He wanted them to. They didn't want him here? They wanted him gone? They'd get their wish in a few weeks. Until then he'd be shooting with his best skills. There was nothing they could do about it.

"What was that about?" Brave Bow asked him.

"Oh, some of the grown men were complaining about the child because they're losing."

Brave Bow couldn't help but smile. "Perhaps you could not humiliate them so much."

"How can I not give it my all?"

"Give it your all, just don't be a show-off about it."

Roy smiled slyly. "I guess I could just cluster the arrows instead of lining them up."

"That's all I ask." They called his number again and Roy got up. "Shoot straight."

"I will." Roy got more dirty looks from his fellow archers, but he ignored them. He just had to make his next 6 bullseyes and he'd win first place with a perfect score. He stepped into line and selected an arrow from his quiver. The timer started and he started shooting. Right away he noticed a problem. The targets had been moved higher and farther away than he'd been expecting. His first shot hit the bullseye as did his second and third ones. The next one though hit the ring just outside it. He glared and shot his last two arrows, both of which missed the bullseye. "Come on!"

"Guess you're not as good as you thought Kid," the man next to him sneered.

Roy was about to snap back when he noticed the point totals. He smirked. "Oh really?"

The man slowly turned towards the board. "What the-"

"Oh yeah!" Roy felt better as he pulled his arrows from the target.

"One of these days you'll meet your match," the judge warned him as he put the first place medal around Roy's neck.

"Yeah. Maybe someday." He ran over to his father, who tried to get out of his seat. He stood unsteadily, leaning on Roy as the boy hugged him.

"Good job Roy," he smiled as he hugged him.

"I missed those last shots."

"You still hit the target my boy. You're a perfectionist."

"Gee, wonder why." Brave Bow laughed and ruffled his hair.

"That's quite an impressive win," a man said. Roy let go of his father and turned around. The man wasn't anyone he knew. He had blonde hair and was wearing clothes Roy assumed cost more than Brave Bow's house; even though they were just slacks and a button-up.

"Thanks," Roy smirked. "Nice goatee."

"Roy," Brave Bow warned him.

"You don't like it?" the man asked playfully, running his hand over it.

"I'm sorry for my son, he's a little vocal."

"That's ok. Kids will be kids." He smiled down at Roy. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your win. For someone of your age, it's very impressive."

"Thank you."

"I'm Oliver Queen."

Roy shook his hand. "Roy Harper."

"Well Roy, I was wondering if I could treat you and your father to some ice cream."

"That'd be-" Roy stopped when Brave Bow leaned against him. "Thanks, Mr. Queen, but we should probably pass."

"Nonsense," Brave Bow told him. "You should go."

"You're tired-"

"Mike was giving us a ride back anyways. If Mr. Queen doesn't mind dropping you off afterward…"

"Not at all," Oliver said with an easy smile.

"You sure?" Roy asked him.

"Of course. You deserve to have a good time." He had confidence that Roy would be fine since he had many friends and basically eyes and ears all over the community.

"Ok!" Roy gave his bow to his father, along with his quiver. He gave him another hug, then passed him off to his friend who was taking him home.

"Ready?" Oliver asked him.

"Let's go." He walked beside Oliver as they left the park where the competition had been held.

"Right over here." The man was leading him towards a jeep convertible that was, by far, the nicest car Roy had ever seen.

"Whoa. Nice car."

"Thanks," Oliver said as they got in. "It's a rental."

"Are you from around here?"

"No, I'm just in town on business. I'm from Star City."

"Star City? Where is that?"

"California. Near San Fransisco."

"Cool. Turn right here. I know a great place."

"You're the boss."

Roy examined his medal as they drove. It was like all his other medals, just a little heavier and bigger. "Why were you at the competition?"

"I'm a bit of an archer myself and I thought it might be fun. Good thing I did too or neither of us would get ice cream."

"True. This is it." Oliver followed Roy into the ice cream shop. Even though it was less of a shop and more of a shack.

"Go ahead and get whatever you want." Roy ended up getting a triple scoop of chocolate and Oliver got strawberry. They got a table in the sun and Roy dug into his. "Have you been an archer for a long time?"

"Since I was 5. So….7 years."

"Only 7?"

"I practice a lot. After-school every day and on the weekends."

"Don't you have friends?"

"Not really."

Oliver nodded. "Do you do competitions like this often?"

"Kind of. I do that one every year and others nearby."

"Do you always get first place?"

"Yup."

"Wait, really?"

"Oh yeah. That's why I was competing with the adults. I kept getting perfect scores against other kids."

"Well then."

Roy took a bite and surveyed his companion carefully. "You said you were from Star right?"

"I did."

"Isn't the Green Arrow from there?"

Oliver seemed to get a little tense. "Yes… Why?"

"He's the greatest archer in the world!"

Oliver looked confused. "You think so?"

"Sure! I mean….I've only ever heard what Brave Bow says he does."

"Brave Bow is…."

"My dad. Raymond Begay."

"Oh right. He tells you about Green Arrow?"

"Well, a few years ago I overheard some kids at school talking about this amazing archer in Star City. Brave Bow says I don't need to watch the news about him because it might not be what I think it is."

"He does?"

"Yeah. All I know is Green Arrow is the best archer in the world and he fights crime."

"….That's it?" Roy nodded. "And you….look up to him?"

"He's my hero."

That made Oliver smile. "Fascinating."

"Have you ever met him?"

"Me? No, I'm just businessman. I don't have anything to do with that….vigilante nonsense."

"Brave Bow thinks it's nonsense too."

"I will say though, the Green Arrow is a great hero."

"He is?"

"He'd do whatever it takes to keep Star City safe. Don't you think that's a good hero?"

"Of course!"

Oliver smiled even more. "Did Brave Bow teach you archery?"

"Yeah…." Roy's face fell suddenly and he looked down at his ice cream.

"Something wrong?"

"No…" His voice got choked-up and he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

"You sure? You seem kind of upset."

"It's nothing…." His voice was shaking now.

"I know we just met, but you can tell me. Whatever is. Maybe I can help."

Roy shook his head, feeling his throat close. "You can't."

"How do you know?"

Roy looked at him, pushing the words past his trembling lips. "Can you cure cancer?" Oliver gave him an unsure look. "Brave Bow has liver cancer."

"Oh."

"It's terminal. He-he's going to die."

"…Oh." There was an awkward silence. "How long-"

"A few weeks probably. We've known for the last few months."

"Do you have any family you're going to live with?"

Roy shook his head. "I'm adopted and Brave Bow is the only family I have." He looked up at Oliver. "When Brave Bow dies I have to leave the reservation and go live in a foster home."

"Maybe it won't be so bad."

"It won't be home." He wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry we're supposed to be celebrating."

"It's fine."

Roy finished the last couple of bites of ice cream. "Thanks for the ice cream Mr. Queen."

"You're welcome and call me Oliver."

"Oliver."

"Come on, we should get you home or your dad will start to worry."

"Did you have fun at the competition today?" Roy asked Oliver as they got in the car.

"I did. Although seeing the 12-year-old blow all the adults out of the water was the best part." Roy smiled. He directed Oliver to his house, playing with his medal again. "What're you going to do with that medal?"

"Put it on my wall. I have a whole bunch of them hanging up." A thought popped into his head, it was probably silly, but he asked anyways. "You wanna see?"

Oliver smiled. "Sure."

"Cool."

When they got to the hose Roy hopped out and ran up the front steps. He opened the door. "Brave Bow, I'm home!" He stood inside the doorway as Oliver came in. "I'm gonna show Oliver my medals!"

"I hope you're not bothering him too much Roy," Brave Bow said. He was laying on the couch, covered in a blanket despite the desert heat.

"It's no bother at all," Oliver assured him.

"This way." Roy led the man into his bedroom. He took off his medal from around his neck and hung it on the empty nail on his wall. "See?" He waved his arm in front of them.

"Wow. You've got a lot."

"28 to be exact."

"You're 12 right?"

"Mhm! At least half are first place."

"That's really impressive."

"Thanks." Roy led him back into the main room. He went over to his father. "Brave Bow, Oliver is an archer too."

"Well he was at an archery competition Roy," his father smiled.

"Can he come back sometime so I can show him my bow?"

"Why don't you show him now?"

"I would love that, but I have to go," Oliver said. "But I'll be in the area for a little while as long as I'm getting my factory off the ground."

"Well….as long as he's not going out of his way, I see no reason why Oliver can't come back sometime."

"Cool!"

"Show your guest out Roy."

"Right, right." Roy led Oliver over to the door. "Thanks again for the ice cream."

"You're welcome," Oliver smiled. "I promise I'll be back soon and you can show me that bow of yours."

"Sweet." Roy shut the door and knelt down next to Brave Bow. "Do you need anything? Water?"

"No, I'm fine Roy."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Roy sat down on the ground and rested his head against Brave Bow's chest. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. Oliver is really nice."

"I'm glad."

— —

True to his word, Roy saw Oliver again a few days later. It was Saturday, so the lack of school meant he could spend all day shooting in the backyard. It was hot, like it always was, the Arizona sun beating down on the boy as he fired arrow after arrow into the target. He was so into the rhythm that he didn't even notice when someone snuck up behind him.

"That's some nice shooting," Oliver said. Roy's arm jerked in surprise, causing his next arrow to miss the target. "Whoops."

"You came back," Roy said in surprise.

"I did promise to come see your bow."

Roy smiled as he held it out to the man. Oliver took it from him carefully so he could examine it. "It's wooden. Brave Bow made it for me himself."

"It's very nice craftsmanship. He has a good eye." Oliver handed it back. "It's an interesting choice of bow for someone your age."

Roy shrugged. "I've been using them for years."

"You ever use a compound or a recurve?"

"No. Do you?"

"I use a variety." He looked past Roy to the target. "How long have you been practicing?"

"Today? Since sun up."

"That long?"

Roy nodded. "I practice all day when I don't have school."

"No wonder your such a good shot. You must really like archery kid."

"I love it! It's the best thing in the whole world." He turned around to fire another arrow.

"I'm glad you think so." Oliver walked a little closer to Roy. "You ever do anything besides archery?"

"Watch tv. I go hiking with Brave Bow. I play basketball sometimes." He shot another arrow. "Some boys in my class let me play if they have uneven numbers. I don't exactly have a lot of friends." He shot another arrow. "Especially lately." He hit another bullseye. "All my friends are more like "I'll eat with you at lunch and let you play ball" type friends and less "I'll hang out with you on the weekend" type friends."

"I see. It's ok. I didn't have a lot friends when I was your age either and I turned out fine."

Roy smiled at him. "You're rich too."

"That's just money I inherited from my dad. The company too."

"That's pretty sweet."

"Yeah it's-" Oliver phone went off. "Excuse me." He stepped away and Roy kept his focus on his target. In the time it took Oliver to take his phone call Roy managed to shoot off 15 arrows. "How long was I gone?"

"I'm fast."

"Yeah, I see that."

"Who was that?"

"The manager of my factory, I have to go."

"Oh." He was kind of disappointed Oliver had to leave again. He liked him.

"I'll try to swing by again, maybe we can shoot together."

"Really?"

"Why not? I'm the big boss I can take days off whenever I want."

"Ok. Bye Oliver." Roy shot off five more arrows in rapid succession.

"Bye Speedy."

— —

The next time Oliver came around was a few days later. Roy was home on school break and watching tv. He cast a worried look over at his father. He was watching the tv, but Roy didn't miss the pained look in his eyes. Roy swallowed and tried to go back to the movie. There was a knock on the door and he climbed carefully over Brave Bow's feet to hop off the couch. "I got it!"

"If it's that boy again tell him we don't want to buy anything!"

Roy opened the door. "Oliver!"

"Hi Roy," Oliver smiled. Roy let him in and shut the door. "Sir."

"Afternoon Mr. Queen," Brave Bow said. He tried to sit up, but Roy ran over.

"Don't," the boy told him, making his father lay down again. "You're in pain, you should be resting." He went over to the kitchen counter and looked through the medications.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Brave Bow asked Oliver.

"Well I needed a day off and I thought I'd take a hike in these lovely mountains."

"There's a lot of great hiking paths around here," Roy told him, forcing three pills into Brave Bow's hand. "Here." He knelt down and lifted his father's head while he helped him take the medication. It looked like they only had enough left for a few days.

"I was hoping you two might know anyone who would be willing to act as a guide for me? I'm terrible with directions and I get lost so easily—"

"Roy could show you," Brave Bow suggested. "I've taken him up there hundreds of times."

"You need me here," Roy protested.

"No. You need some fresh air. Go get your shoes on." Roy left and grabbed his boots form his room. He only owned two pairs of shoes. His sneakers and his hiking boots. Sandals as well, but he hardly ever wore them so they didn't count. He pulled his boots on and quickly laced them up. Thick hiking boots were a bit of a problem in Arizona usually, but it was still early spring so he wasn't that worried. He grabbed his canteen and ran back into the living room.

"Did you have a specific path in mind?" Roy asked Oliver as he dumped two water bottles into his canteen.

"No, but I'm sure you know a good one."

"I do." Roy hung his canteen over his body and tightened the straps. He knelt down in front of his father. "If you need anything make sure—"

"I will call Mike," Brave Bow said. "Promise." Roy gave him a gentle hug. "Be good and make sure you give Oliver the best view."

"I will." Roy followed Oliver out and hopped, no need to open the door, into his car.

"Which way?" Oliver asked.

"Head down this road." Roy pointed down the dirt road that the house sat on. As they drove he smiled at the sun on his face. Brave Bow was always taking him outside. Hiking, shooting, camping. Considering his pale complexion it was amazing he'd never gotten skin cancer. Brave Bow was good about sunscreen though. Which he'd forgotten today. Whoops. "Turn left up ahead."

"You come out this way a lot?"

"Kind of. Brave Bow and I go hiking on this trail a lot."

"So you know it really well?"

"Don't worry. We won't get lost. Right there. That lot."

"Lot?" Oliver asked as he parked. "Roy this is a dirt circle."

"Lot." Roy hopped out and Oliver followed. "This way." He found the trail easily and led Oliver towards the mountain. They made their way up the mountain-side, following the dusty trail. Roy kept taking periodic sips of his canteen, used to the amount water necessary for this. 'Thankfully it's not 100 degrees today,' he thought. About halfway up he looked back at Oliver. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." His hair was messy and he was sweating a lot more than Roy was. The boy grinned.

"Yeah. Sure." He handed Oliver his canteen. "You didn't bring water."

"Thanks, kid." Oliver took a drink and handed it back. "This the end?"

"Nope." Roy slipped his canteen back over his body. "Half way point."

"What?!"

Roy laughed. "Come on, let's go."

An hour later Roy pulled himself over the last ridge. He looked back at Oliver. "Need help?"

"Nope." Oliver pulled himself up and stood next to Roy on the cliff. "Nice view."

Roy nodded. He could see the whole town and the next town over from this cliff. "It's my favorite." He sat on the edge and Oliver joined him.

"You don't have views like this in Star. All I see from my office is more buildings."

"I've never seen a city."

"Really?"

"I've barely been off the reservation."

"Huh. Brave Bow bring you up here a lot?"

"He likes it up here. He says its peaceful."

"You guys don't have a lot of neighbors, I imagine it's not exactly rowdy." Oliver took a sip from the canteen. "You said Brave Bow adopted you, right?"

Roy snorted. "Do I look like his birth son?"

"Good point. When did he adopt you?"

"When I was two and a half. My dad….my dad was a forest ranger. He died in a forest fire."

"He did?"

"Yeah. Brave Bow and some other men from the reservation were there and my dad got them out but….he died from the smoke inhalation after going back into the flames so many times."

"That's too bad. What about your mom?"

"What about her? She took off just after I was born."

"She did?"

"That's what my dad told Brave Bow. You know on his death bed and all that. I don't even know her name."

"Huh."

'And I get to be an orphan twice,' Roy added silently. While it bothered him that he never got to know his dad, it was hard to mourn someone who was only a fuzzy memory that disappeared when he focused too hard on it. His mother was dead to him, so he never felt a need to mourn her; if she was dead. "What about your family?"

"I don't have any."

"You don't?"

"I lost my parents when I was about your age."

Roy looked at him. Oliver had been orphaned at his age too? It made him feel a kinship with the man. True they didn't really know each other—except they kind of did at this point, but he was starting to think it was nice with Oliver. 'He's a really cool guy,' Roy thought. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks. You know Roy, if you don't have any friends….I'd like to be your friend?"

"You would?"

"Of course. We have a lot in common, don't we?"

Roy thought about it. "Yeah, I guess we do."

"You remind me of a younger version of myself. Just grow to make better life choices." Roy laughed. "So, friends?"

"Yeah." Roy bumped his fist. "We're friends."

— —  
In the middle of Roy's week off, he was outside shooting, as usual, and was so engrossed by it that he didn't notice the car the drove down the road. He fired his last arrow into the target bullseye and reached down for his canteen.

"Hi," Oliver said, causing Roy to drop it. It bounced between his hands for a minute before he finally had it secured in his hands.

"You surprised me," Roy replied.

"Clearly."

"What're you doing here?"

Oliver held up a receive bow. "I did say we'd shoot together sometime." Roy's face lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Unless you don't want too-"

"I do! I do! Wait there!" Roy ran over to the target and pulled out all his arrows. He ran back to Oliver offered half the arrows to him. "Here you go."

"I already got my own." Oliver turned so Roy could see the river on his back. "Thanks though."

"You can shoot first."

"Alright." Roy watched Oliver's every move carefully. Ever move seems natural like he'd done it a thousand times before. He only had to aim for a second before he shot the arrow. It hit the bullseye dead center.

"Good shot." Roy fired his own arrow.

"You too. Want to have a competition?"

"Sure."

"Ok. I'm going to time us for….1 minute." He held up his phone so Roy could see. "We'll see who can shoot more arrows."

Roy smirked as he turned towards the target. "Got it."

"Ready…go." Roy fired as fast as he could. His hands jumped off his arrow and onto his bow, then again. When the 1 minute had been up, he lowered his bow and a grin broke out. Oliver had fired around 13 arrows in the minute. Roy had fired 25. "I won."

"I see that."

"I'll get the arrows." Roy retrieved both their arrows, taking a moment to admire the how high-quality Oliver's were, as well as the green fletchings on them. "You arrows are really nice."

"Thanks." Oliver was quiet for a moment as they kept shooting. "How far away do you think the targets are?"

"Um…10 yards?"

"Pretty close. Good guess. Good thing there's plenty of space out here."

"I know." All of a sudden one of Oliver's arrows hit off his. "You missed. Guess you're not as good as you thought."

"Oh really? Why don't you take a closer look?" Roy frowned and ventured closer to the target. He examined his arrow that Oliver had hit. His yes winded when he saw the crack down the shaft. The origin of which, was the end of the arrow there it'd been hit. With a strong yank, he pulled it out and ran back.

"You tried to split my arrow!"

"I did. I think the arrows are made of the wrong material for that though."

Roy ran his fingers over the crack. "That's cool…. I thought only Robin Hood could split arrows." He grinned at Oliver. "You're just like Robin Hood!"

"I'm Robin Hood?"

"You shoot like him."

Oliver opened his mouth, but then his phi went off. He sighed when he looked at it. "I have to leave."

"You do?" Roy couldn't help the letdown feeling. "But we're having fun."

"Sorry, Roy. Maybe we can do it again sometime."

"Ok. Well….bye."

"I'll see you later." Roy watched Oliver leave and sighed as he turned back to his target. It was nice shooting with Oliver. He couldn't shoot with Brave Bow like that anymore. Not only because his dad was sick, but because his skills had actually surpassed his. It was nice to shoot with someone who was better than him. Roy glanced around to make sure that he was alone, then adjusted his stance to what he'd seen Oliver doing. His muscles resisted a little bit to the new stance. 'Kind of weird for just standing.' He backed up and ran towards the target, trying to stop in the position. His feet tumbled underneath him, but he simply backed up and tried again. And again. And again. And again. And again. In the end, he decided it was a good stance if you had to run between shots. Roy frowned as he went inside with the sun setting. 'Why would he need to run while shooting?'

— —

The following weekend Roy was sitting on his bed, trying to bullshit his way through an assignment he should've been working on all week when he heard the coughing. In an instant, he was off his bed and running to his father's side. "Brave Bow!" Brave Bow was kneeling on the ground, hacking into his hand. "Oh geez!" Roy quickly got a tissue into his hand to catch the blood. He ran to the kitchen and got a bottle of water. Gently, he guided Brave Bow to sit on the couch. He rubbed his father's back until the hacking stopped. "Here." Brave Bow's hands shook as he brought the bottle to his lips. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

Roy felt his forehead. "You're warm. This fever hasn't broken for two days."

"It's only a couple of degrees too high."

"Lay down." Roy covered him with a blanket and ran back to the kitchen. A quick look at the medications though had him sighing in frustration. 'Nothing for his fever.' He grabbed a couple of ice packs from the freezer and ran back to the living room. He carefully picked them under Brave Bow's arms and felt his face. "You're really warm."

"I'm sure it'll go away." There was a knock on the door.

"Stay here."

"Where am I going?"

Roy opened the door to find Oliver standing there. "Oliver."

"Hi. Bad time?"

"Uh…." Roy glanced back at his father. "Kind of."

"Who is it?" Brave Bow asked him.

"It's Oliver." Roy let him in and shut the door.

"Good Morning Mr. Queen."

"Morning," Oliver nodded.

"What brings you here?"

"Well, I have to go to Phoenix tomorrow for a meeting and go over a few papers with the division of my company there. I thought maybe Roy would like to come with me."

"Really?" Roy asked. He felt a spark of excitement at the prospect.

"You've never been to the city and it's a really long drive to make alone."

"Brave Bow needs me."

"No, no," Brave Bow said, holding Roy's hand. "You should go."

"Really? I can skip school?"

"Yes. It's not every day you get a chance to go into the city."

"So is that a yes?" Oliver asked him.

"Yeah!"

"Alright. I'll pick you up bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Cool." Roy spent the rest of the day taking care of Brave Bow and keeping him company, his homework now forgotten. He changed the ice packs every couple of hours and kept his father hydrated. Without anything to give him Roy just had to make do until the fever finally broke around dinner time. He made soup for the both of them, but he couldn't get Brave Bow to eat. "Come on, you have to."

"I'm not hungry."

"Please. You need to eat something."

"I don't think I could hold anything down."

"You haven't eaten all day."

"I'm fine Roy, really. You eat."

'Stubborn old man,' Roy thought angrily as he ate his soup. He tried twice more to convince the man to eat but he still refused. In the end Roy just had to make peace with making sure he was comfortable on the couch before he went to bed himself. He stared up at the ceiling for a little while, excitement building over his trip the next day. That excitement was tinged with sorrow though. Every day Brave Bow was getting weaker and weaker. He felt bad about leaving him the next day, but he knew his father wouldn't let him skip the trip.

The next day Roy was up before the sun. He got dressed and waited eagerly for Oliver. Brave Bow was a little better. He wouldn't eat but his fever thankfully didn't return. By the time there was a knock on the door Roy was energized and ready to go.

"Hi, Oliver!"

"You're eager today," Oliver smiled. "Mr. Begay."

"Morning Mr. Queen." Roy knelt down and gave him a hug. "Be good."

"I will.

"Do what Mr. Queen says and don't run off by yourself."

"I won't."

"Make sure you have fun."

"I will." Roy gave him one last hug before he followed Oliver out of the house.

"Excited?" Oliver asked him they got in the car.

"Yeah!" Once the left the reservation Roy looked at Oliver. "Is Phoenix a lot like Star?"

"Kind of. There're some differences."

"No Green Arrow."

"That's true."

The ride down was long but enjoyable. Conversation was a little hard with the wind beating against them in the convertible, but that didn't stop them. Roy told Oliver about some of his favorite competitions he'd competed in and found out more about Oliver's life.

"You were really stranded on a desert island?!"

"You think I'd joke about something like that?"

"It's just….shipwrecked on a desert island? That's like something out of a movie."

"Trust me, kid, it was nothing like a movie. I was hungry, thirsty, alone. I spent a year if my life on that island."

"Were you scared?"

"I was at first. After a while, though I figured out it was eat or be eaten. When you're faced with odds like that, what can you do but survive?"

"Did anyone miss you?"

"Eh…not really."

"Was it fun?"

"Fun?! No running water for a year and you think I had fun?!"

"It could've been."

Oliver laughed. "I did feel….rejuvenated though."

"What does that mean?"

"It means….I felt refreshed."

"Why?"

"I learned something very important on that island." Roy gave him a curious look. An odd look crossed Oliver's face. "I learned that sometimes you have to do unpleasant things to get a pleasant outcome."

Roy snorted. "That's awfully deep for an island with no people on it. You're just making that up." He glanced off to the side as they passed a sign that said 'Phoenix City Limits'. "Is this it?!"

"Yes. We're here."

It didn't look that different from the reservation at first. The houses were more frequent and closer together, but it wasn't drastically different. Within a few minutes though he could see the tall buildings. "Whoa." When they pulled off the highway and into the downtown area he couldn't help but smile. "These buildings are so tall!"

"I have some papers to go over at the office," Oliver said as they pulled into a parking garage. "After that though we can walk around and see the city."

"Sweet."

"If you're interested I heard there's a baseball game tonight. We can go if you want."

"Really?" Roy wasn't super interested in baseball, but it would be really cool to watch a game in person.

"Sure."

Roy stayed close to Oliver once they were in the building. Some people gave them odd looks as they passed, but he ignored them. A man in a suit approached them once they were half-way across the lobby. Roy definitely didn't miss the gun at the guy's waist. He took an unconscious step towards Oliver.

"Mr. Queen," the man said shaking his hand. "Mr. Cahill asked me to escort you upstairs."

"Lead the way," Oliver replied gesturing.

"Who's Mr. Cahill?" Roy asked quietly as they were lead over to an elevator.

"He's the president of the company here in Phoenix. He has the papers I need to sign."

Roy never took his eyes off the guy with the gun. He felt a lot better once they got off the guy left them alone. "Why does he have a gun?"

"He's a security guard. They all have guns." Oliver smiled at him. "Don't worry. Unless you're here to kill me or steal my company's secrets he won't pull it on you." They walked into a large office where, surprise, another guy in a suit was wilting for them.

'Do all these guys wear suits?'

"Mr. Queen," Mr. Cahill said, shaking his hand. "Nice to see you. Who's this?"

"This Is Roy," Oliver said, putting an arm around Roy's shoulders. "He's a new friend keeping me company."

"Nice to meet you, Roy."

"You too," Roy responded. He realized Oliver's arm was still around his shoulders, but he found he didn't really mind.

"Where are those papers?" Oliver asked, stepping forward.

"They're right here sir."

Roy wandered around the office while Oliver and Mr. Cahill talked and went over the papers. From the windows, he felt like he could see the whole city. Nothing but buildings as far as the eye could see. Nothing like open desert and mountains he was used to on the reservation.

"Roy," Oliver said. Roy turned around. "Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Where are you two off to today?" Mr. Cahill asked as he locked the papers in a file cabinet.

"Well, we should probably get lunch after this. Then we'll walk around. Maybe go to the science center or the zoo."

"I think the D-backs are playing tonight."

"We're going tonight. Right, Roy?" Roy nodded.

"Good. Here." He took out his wallet and handed Roy a $20. "Get yourself a souvenir."

"Thanks!"

Oliver smiled. "Come on Roy." He guided the boy out of the office and back towards the elevator.

"That was really nice of him."

"He's just trying to make nice with the kid hanging out with the boss." He put his arm around Roy again. "So, science center or zoo?"

"Zoo!"

"Zoo it is."

The rest of the day was one of the best Roy'd had in months. He and Oliver had lunch at a really good restaurant where they got treat outside, then took a trip to the zoo. The zoo was a lot of fun. He saw animals he'd never seen before, or not on a tv at least. He got to pet some of them too, including the porcupine; which wasn't as dangerous as he thought it'd be. After the zoo, they went to Chase Field and Roy was once again amazed by the access Oliver had. The VIP box was fancy with air conditioning and had comfortable chairs.

"This is amazing!"

"Glad you like it."

They were served dinner there too and Roy bought a jersey from the souvenir stand and a hat. "For Brave Bow," he explained to Oliver's questioning look.

"Ah."

The game was exciting. He'd watched a few on tv, but watching it in person was way more exciting. It was late by the time the game ended, but he didn't mind. He was still full of energy and bouncing as they left the stadium. "That was awesome!"

"Glad you had fun."

As they got into the car Roy glanced up. "Huh."

"What?"

"There aren't as many stars here."

Oliver glanced up. "It's because of the light pollution. Cities have more lights so they block out the stars."

"Oh."

By the time they were pulling up in front of the house, Roy was still wide awake; despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. "Home sweet home," Oliver said, turning the car off.

"Thanks for today," Roy said, just able to see Oliver in the light from the porch light. "It was awesome!"

"I'm glad you had fun. Thanks for keeping me company on the long drive."

"Anytime." He got out and ran up the front steps. As silently as possible, he slipped in through the front door. Brave Bow was fast asleep on the couch. Roy made sure he was covered by a blanket before he went to his own bedroom. He stared up at the ceiling because he was still too happy and excited to sleep. Seeing the city, the zoo, a baseball game…it was so awesome! The best day he'd had in months! He grinned in the darkness. "Oliver is awesome," he whispered.

— —

The following Friday Roy was in the backyard shooting his bow. Brave Bow was sleeping in the living room and he didn't want to disturb him. He'd ditched school, third time this week, to stay home and take care of his father. He'd gotten significantly worse in the last few days. Not that Brave Bow was happy about Roy skipping, but there wasn't a lot he could do. It was quiet, so the sound of a car coming down the street caught his attention almost immediately. He went back inside, crossing into the living room as soon as there was a knock on the door.

"Huh?" Brave Bw asked, waking up. "Who is it?"

Roy opened the door. "Hi, Oliver!" He let the man in without hesitation. "It's Oliver."

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Oliver said. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Brave Bow's bad today, I'm taking care of him."

"Oh. I had a very long and rough week, and I decided I needed some fresh air. I was looking to go camping this weekend since it's my last weekend down here. roy told me you guys go camping a lot and I was wondering if you knew of some good places."

"…..yeah….we…know some," Brave Bow managed.

"Have you been camping before?" Roy asked him. Oliver didn't strike him as the kind of guy who went camping a lot with his fancy car and expensive watch.

"Of course I have. If you count my crazy year-long island vacation as camping."

Roy smirked. "I don't think so."

"You know any good places or not?"

"Yeah but they're more for experienced campers not city folk like you."

"Experienced like you?" Roy shrugged. "Come with me then."

Roy frowned. "Really?"

"Well I obviously need an experienced hand or I could die out there. How about it? We can go for the weekend and I'll have you back here on Sunday in time for school."

"I….think its a….great idea," Brave Bow said, trying to sit up.

"Lay down," Roy told him. "Really?"

"Of course. You love camping. You go, show Oliver how a pro does it."

"You need me here."

"I'll be fine. I have friends who can check on me."

Roy was torn. On the one hand, he felt better knowing he was here to take care of his father….. On the other hand, if Oliver was leaving soon it'd be nice to spend more time with him before he left. "Well….ok."

"Take some of our stuff." The fact the two of them would never be needing it again hung unspoken between them.

"Sure. Come out back." Roy led Oliver to the backyard. Against the back of the house was a metal shed. Roy slid the door open, wincing as the heat hit his face. "Let's see."

"This should be fun," Oliver said as Roy unloaded the stuff from the shed.

"Oh yeah. There's a great place an hour from here."

"Good." Roy helped Oliver get the camping stuff into his car. "You sure about this? No offense Oliver, but you seem a little too….preppy to go camping."

"…..I think I might surprise you." Oliver looked at him. "I have to grab some things, but I'll pick you up in a few hours."

"Ok. See you in a few." Roy went back inside and knelt down beside Brave Bow. "Are you sure about this?"

"I….am," his father breathed. "You…spend too much…time in here. I want you….to….have fun."

"Yeah, this is totally the time for fun."

"Go pack."

Despite his misgivings about leaving his father alone, and he had plenty, Roy couldn't be more excited. He loved the outdoors, so camping was right up his alley. The fact that he got to go with Oliver made it even better. The thought that Oliver was going to be leaving and going back to Star saddened him. Roy'd had so much fun with him the last few weeks; he felt a little less lonely. 'I should make the best of this then.' he decided. It was only a couple of days. He'd be fine.

By the time Oliver came to pick Roy up the boy was filled with excitement over his upcoming trip.

"You're….making me nervous…." Brave Bow remarked watching his son pacing.

"What if he-" Roy didn't even get to finish his thought before he heard the car. "He's here!" Brave Bow laughed as he ran to the door. "Hi, Oliver!"

"Hi, Roy. Ready?"

"One sec!" Roy ran back and gave Brave Bow a hug. "You'll be ok?"

"I am….perfectly capable of…handling myself. Have fun."

Roy ran out of the house and threw his bag into the car; then quickly followed it. "Let's go!"

"Tell me where to go."

Oliver, it turned out, was terrible at camping. Roy had a hard time believing he survived on a desert island alone within a few minutes of them trying to set up camp. He didn't know how to smooth out the campsite. He was useless when trying to set up a tent, so Roy told him to gather rocks for a fire pit. He was surprised Oliver managed to get all the rocks without hurting himself; a fact that Roy didn't fail to tell him. It was almost dark by the time they finished, so they cooked hot dogs over the fire and Roy gave him a lesson in constellations.

"Are you sure that's what they're called?" Oliver asked him.

Roy scoffed. "Are you questioning me?"

"And if I am?"

Roy sighed. "Yes, I'm sure."

"You can shoot, camp, hike, read the stars. Anything you can't do?"

"Not really."

Day Two consisted of hiking on nearby trails and Oliver accidentally grabbing a cactus. After Roy was done laughing he helped get the spines out of the billionaire's hand. At one point he took a drink from his canteen and when he turned around to find Oliver was gone. "Oliver?" He looked around. Normally finding people in the desert was easy, but they are surrounded by mountains and ridges. "Oliver!" He climbed one of the ridges to give himself a better vantage point. "Oliver!" His heart started pounding. "Oliver!" He climbed back down and followed the pathway. Maybe Oliver had gone ahead while his back was turned. "Oliver!" After 15 minutes though, there was still no sign of him. It was almost mid-afternoon and the sun was being particularly harsh. 'He doesn't have water…' Roy was officially really worried. "Oliver!"

"Roy!" Relief spread through the boy.

"Oliver!"

"Roy!" He ran towards the voice, scaling several small peaks. He spotted Oliver and smiled. "Roy!" Oliver put his hands on Roy's shoulders. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What? I-I've been looking for you!"

"Me? You're the one who left the path."

"What? No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did! I turned around and you were gone!"

Roy blinked. 'He's the one who wandered off.' He looked at Oliver's intense face and felt his resolve waver. 'Did I wander off?' He'd been out in the sun for a while. Maybe he was confused.

"You really scared me, kid."

"I-I'm sorry. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"It's ok." Oliver pat him on the back. "Come on, let's head back to camp."

"Ok." On the walk back Roy made sure he could see Oliver at all times so he didn't get lost again. They made more food by the fire for dinner and even s'mores. Oliver was bad at making those too and his marshmallows kept catching on fire. Despite all the mishaps though, it was a fun trip. By the time Oliver was dropping him off back home Roy was slightly sunburnt, but all smiles. "I'll go put the gear away." Oliver helped him get it into the backyard and he stacked it all neatly in the shed. His fingers grazed lightly over the gear and he hesitated inside the shed. His throat closed a little bit. He swallowed and stepped out, quickly shutting the door. He went back inside where Oliver was waiting. "Thanks for the weekend."

"It was fun for me too." He looked at his watch. "I should go."

"I'll walk you out." Roy followed Oliver back to his car and stood next to it. "You're going home soon?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, the building didn't burn down while I was gone. Here." He got something out of the glove compartment and handed it to Roy.

"A business card?"

"If you need anything, anything at all, call me."

"Ok. Bye Oliver."

"Bye Roy."

Roy watched Oliver drive off. 'He looked for me when I was lost,' he mused as he went inside. He smiled. 'Nice to someone else besides Brave Bow cares.'

— —

When he woke up Roy had the very distinct feeling that something was wrong. He got out of bed and practically glided into the living room. "Brave Bow?" His father was on the couch as usual. Roy hung back in his doorway. He studied him for a moment. "Brave Bow?" He crept closer to the man. His eyes scanned the still body. "Brave Bow?" He knelt down beside his father and rested his hand on his chest. "Brave Bow?" His chest didn't rise and fall with inhaling and exhaling. Roy closed his eyes and rested his head on his father's lifeless chest. He held one of his hands, already cold, with both of his. "Brave Bow."

The next few hours were a blur for Roy. He didn't remember calling anyone, but somehow people from the community were there and they were pulling him away from his father. He didn't remember fighting, but suddenly there were three men restraining him, telling him to calm down. He didn't remember packing, but he found himself sitting in the front seat of someone's truck with a bag as they drove away; his longbow resting against his knees. He didn't remember looking back, but he definitely saw them removing Brave Bow's body from the house. He didn't keep track of where they were going or how far they drove, but when they stopped he knew they weren't on the reservation anymore. He didn't pay close attention as he walked into the building and made to sit in a seat. Whoever it was that brought him here was speaking with someone, but he didn't listen. His eyes never left his longbow. There was a hollow feeling in his chest. It felt like he was a pumpkin whose insides had been carved out. There was movement in the corner of his eye and he turned towards it.

"Hi Roy," a man said. "My name is Carlos. I'm here to help you."

Roy blinked. He looked around. The man from the reservation who'd brought him here was long gone. He swallowed and looked back at Carlos. "Ok…." he croaked.

"Come with me." Carlos guided him to an office. "Sit down."

Roy sat down. "Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Carlos. You probably don't remember me, but I'm your social worker."

"You are?"

"Yes. You haven't been in the system since you were 2 and a half though. You've grown a lot." He sat on his desk and smiled at Roy. "First I have to wait until the official death certificate for your foster father is released. After that, I'm going to find a nice family for you. Ok?" It really wasn't, but Roy nodded all the same.

"Carlos," a man poked his head in. "There's a man from the coroner's office here to see you."

"I'll be right there." He looked down at Roy. "I'll be right back." Carlos left and Roy took a moment to take in his surroundings. There was a cell phone on Carlos' desk. His hand unconsciously moved to his pocket and pulled out Oliver's business card. He didn't even remember grabbing it. Without thinking about it, Roy snatched up the cell and typed in the number. He waited anxiously while it rang.

"Hello?" Oliver answered. Roy didn't say anything. "Hello?"

"O-Oliver?"

"Roy? What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Brave Bow's dead." There was silence on the other line.

"Where are you?"

"Um…" Roy looked around and spotted Carlos' ID on the desk. "DHS. Flagstaff." Wow, he'd really been out of it during the car ride to miss 3 hours.

"Hang tight, I'll be right there."

"Ok." Roy hung up and put the cell phone on the desk just as Carlos came back.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked. Roy shook his head. He didn't know how long he had to sit there while Carlos filled out paperwork until there was some noise down the hall. Roy turned in his chair. "What's going on out there?" Carlos asked, getting out of his seat.

The guy from earlier returned. "Uh, Carlos….what would you say if I told you there was a billionaire here to see you?"

"Why?"

"Because Oliver Queen is here and he wants to see Roy Harper Jr."

"Oliver?" Roy asked, making both men jump. He got up and slipped past them into the hall. He wandered back the way they come. "Oliver!" He ran to the man and Oliver knelt down to meet him.

"I got here as fast as I could," Oliver said.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know him?" Carlos asked.

Oliver stood up, putting his hands on Roy's shoulders. "I'm a friend." Roy nodded. Oliver was his friend. Oliver had come here to help him. Oliver cared about him.

"He is!" Roy insisted. "We-we go camping together and hiking and he shoots with me and we even went to Phoenix last week."

"You did?" Carlos asked.

Roy nodded. "Oliver cares about me a lot. He's a really good friend." He felt the man in question squeeze his shoulders in what Roy guessed was a show of support.

"Can we have a minute?" Oliver asked.

"Um….yeah…You can use my office." Carlos led them back to his office with Oliver's hands never leaving Roy's shoulders. Once they were there he shut the door as Roy sat down. Oliver crouched down in front of him.

"You ok?" Oliver asked.

"I-I don't know…"

"Listen…I have a secret to tell you."

"What?"

Oliver looked around, then leaned in close to whisper in Roy's ear, "I'm the Green Arrow."

Roy frowned. "You're….what?" Oliver nodded. That didn't make any sense…except that it did. From the one picture, Roy had seen of the hero he was blonde like Oliver. Oliver was an archer and he was rich so he'd have the resources. The more Roy thought about it the more it made sense. "Really?"

"Really." Oliver put his hands on Roy's shoulders. "Believe me." And he did. It all made sense. His skills, the weird shooting stance, and his green fletchings. If anyone had the money to do, it was probably Oliver. It felt obvious to Roy, who wished he'd figure it out earlier. It only made him like the man more though. He had an entire city to look after and get back to, but he'd come when Roy needed him. Visited him and took him places. He really was the great hero Roy'd always thought, with his mask and without.

"Ok."

"You believe me?"

"I do."

"Good. Roy, you have an amazing talent with archery. Like nothing I've ever seen."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was wondering…if you want…do you want to come back to Star City with me? Do you want to help me protect it from terrible people?" Roy stared at him. "I know this is a lot to take in, but like I've said: I see a lot of me in you, Roy. I know you want to help people like I do." Roy nodded. "You can honor Brave Bow's memory by using the skills he taught you for good." That…that was a good idea. "So, what'd you say? You in?"

Roy swallowed. Slowly, he put his hand on Oliver's shoulder and nodded. "I'm in."


	31. Dick Wants to Help

A/N: Time for another update! Enjoy!

Summer came to Gotham and with it came more time for Dick to spend with Roy. On his last day of school, the boy came home, threw his backpack across the foyer, and did a backflip so high he was over Roy's head; all while shouting "Freedom!" It made both Alfred and Roy smile. Dick was ecstatic that with school over he could spend more time with Roy. Although, Roy still sent many hours trying to get caught up on his education. He still couldn't shake the knot in his stomach when he got something wrong or couldn't do something. Alfred was patient though, He was willing to explain something three times if necessary. Roy found himself getting better slowly but surely. After a couple of weeks of successfully making his way through his work with Alfred helping him, he'd become determined to get caught up. Actually doing so was seeming more and more plausible after every day, making Roy more willing to work all day. Because it was summer though, Alfred, despite his equal determination to see Roy succeed, never allowed him to do schoolwork past 3 in the afternoon. As much as it overjoyed him to see Roy's confidence grow, he wanted the teen to have some fun during the summer as well.

So Roy spent his afternoons with Dick, doing whatever the younger boy wanted to do. Usually, this was watching Dick practice his acrobatics or playing video games. Both Dick and Alfred noticed that during the day Roy would relax more and come out of his shell a little bit. Unfortunately, he went right back in when Bruce came home, but seeing him relax for at least a couple hours was always worth it. Roy also found himself the victim of Dick's newest idea. Gold stars. Any time Roy did something that Dick deemed "recovering" or "worthy" he'd get a gold star.

Stop eating his lunch when he was full? Two stars.

Ask Alfred for help on a math problem? One star.

Sit outside in the sun? Three stars.

Eat a snack? Two stars.

Roy didn't really keep track of whatever he did that earned him the stars; instead just letting Dick put stars on him when he wanted to. Which was how Bruce came home one day to Dick pulling Roy into the foyer. The teenager's face was covered in gold star stickers. "Dick what did you do?" Bruce asked him.

"Roy did really good today!" Dick beamed. "This is the most stars he's earned in a single day!"

"In how many days?"

"Three weeks!" Bruce blinked, then gave Roy a sympathetic look. Roy just looked amused by Dick's excitement for the project. "Roy tell him what they're all for!"

"Um…." Roy stalled. He didn't know what they were all for.

Dick stood on his toes to reach the red head's face. "This one is because he asked Alfred for help. These two are because he asked Alfred for help again. This one-"

"You know Dick, I have some papers to go over," Bruce interrupted. "Good job on the….stars Roy."

"Thank you," Roy mumbled.

"Come on Roy," Dick said as he pulled Roy away. "let's go play video games."

Bruce shook his head. "Is he like this all day?" he asked Alfred, who'd come out to meet him.

"Yes," Alfred nodded. "Master Dick is very pleased to have Master Roy around to keep him company during the summer. He is also very energetic in his efforts to help Master Roy recover."

"Hmm. I'll talk to him later. We don't need him scaring Roy more."

"Indeed."

Elsewhere, Dick sighed when he realized Roy wasn't paying attention. He paused the game. "Roy. Roy!"

Roy jumped. "What?"

"What're you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"If you tell me I'll stop asking."

He had a point there. "I was just….thinking about my medals."

Dick frowned. "Medals?"

"Yeah. I started competing in archery tournaments when I was 6 until I was 12 and I…" His throat closed off, causing his voice to taper off. Luckily that part of the story didn't really need an explanation. "Anyways I have a lot of medals from my 6 years of competing." He suddenly ducked his head down. "They're all in Star."

"Oh? Oh."

"Yeah….I-I know it's stupid. I should be more worried about….surviving than stupid trophies but I didn't bring a lot with me from the reservation…."

"Hey." Dick grabbed his hand to get his attention. "I get it."

"You do?"

Dick nodded. "I only brought a couple of things with me from the circus." He smiled. "I'll tell Bruce and-"

"No!" Roy's hand jerked from Dick's grasp. "No, don't!"

"Why?"

"Bruce- I don't want him to think I'm ungrateful for everything he's done for me already because I'm not! I'm really not!"

"Roy calm down its ok. Bruce wouldn't think that. I'll tell him and maybe he can get them for you."

"Really?" He hated to get his hopes up, but the thought of having his possessions back was too exciting. "Would he really do that?"

"Probably. I'll ask him tonight. I'm sure he'll say yes."

—

"No Dick."

"Why not?!"

"I do think you'll need to give him answer besides 'I said so' sir," Alfred advised.

"Bruce he only has a few things that are actually his."

"Dick I understand, but-"

"Not enough!"

"Dick!" Dick quieted down and Bruce took a breath. "We can't. Any member of the League going into Star is just going to provoke Oliver. I'm the only member of the League who could possibly do this without detection and if I do it then it could tip off Oliver to where Roy is."

Dick frowned. "That makes sense."

"I'm sorry Dick. I want Roy to be happy as much as you do, but we just can't risk it."

"I know."

Bruce suddenly remembered his conversation from earlier and decided to bring it up now. "You need to clam down around Roy."

"Why?" Dick asked as he snapped his utility belt into place. He checked to make sure all the security measures were working.

"I don't want you to overwhelm him."

"I don't know he seems pretty whelmed."

Bruce paused. "Regardless, I know you mean well, but try to remember that Roy recovering from the abuse will be a long process."

"He's been here for three months though!"

"I know, but we need to be patient."

"So I can't give him stars?"

Bruce smiled as he pulled on the cowl. "You can keep giving him the stars."

Dick put on his mask and whooped. He pulled his cape on, then did two backflips. "To the Bat mobile!"

— —

"Are you sure you are well?" Aquaman asked Kaldur. They were only going to the Watchtower and it had been over a month since Green Arrow attacked Aqualad, but the Atlantean King still worried.

"I am sure my king," Aqualad replied. "However if you wish me to stay behind-"

"No, not at all. Kid Flash and Robin will be very happy to see you I'm sure."

"I am looking forward to seeing them as well."

Aquaman nodded. Good. He was glad Kaldur'ahm was making friends with the other young heroes. "Come, if I'm late again I'll have to deal with Batman and Superman." The two of them swam over to the zeta tube and Aquaman authored his protege to get through.

"Aqualad, B02."

"Aquaman, 06."

They exited on the Watchtower and walked towards the meeting room. When they got there Aqualad had taken only two steps in when a voice from above said, "Hi Aqualad."

He looked up. "Hello, Robin."

Robin dropped down so he was hanging upside down in front of the Atlantean. "What's up?"

"It would seem you are."

"Did he just make a joke?" Green Lantern asked Aquaman.

"Uh…seems like it," Aquaman replied.

A yellow steak suddenly barreled into the room, knocking Aqualad to the ground. "Hi, Aqualad!" Kid Flash smiled.

"Hello, Kid Flash. Could you please speak quieter?"

Flash ran in and sighed. "Kid get off him." Kid Flash stood up and Aqualad got up once the younger speedster was no longer pinning him down.

"Are you alright Aqualad?" Aquaman asked.

"I am fine Your Majesty," Aqualad replied.

"We should start the meeting," Batman said as Flash sat down.

"That's our cue to leave," Robin said. He dropped down from the ceiling, did a flip on the way down, landed in a somersault, and ran out.

"So cool!" Kid Flash shouted running after him. Aqualad simply nodded to himself and followed them at a calm pace.

"I think Aqualad is calming enough to balance out Kid Flash and Robin," Green Lantern smiled.

"Good thing too, or we'd have a problem," Flash joked.

"First order of business," Superman said. He looked at Batman. "Has Green Arrow been in Gotham?"

"No," Batman said. "It's been nearly a month since the two murders, and there've been no sightings of him and no murders with his M.O."

"He hasn't been attacking our cities either. Think he gave up?"

"Hardly. He's not getting results from his plan, so he might just be changing tactics."

"We still need to keep an eye on the kids," Wonder Woman said. "Kid Flash and Aqualad have recovered, but that doesn't mean it won't happen again."

"It's not happening again!" Flash and Aquaman stated in unison.

"Superman, can you fly on the outskirts of Star or just above his house without being detected?" Batman asked.

The Man of Steel nodded. "Why?"

"I want you to listen in to his house. My bugs have picked up nothing, but they're only in two locations."

"Understood."

"Hopefully we can get an idea of what he might try next," Martian Manhunter said.

"Hopefully, but with Green Arrow, you never really know."

Elsewhere in the Watchtower, Robin was perched on a beam while Kid Flash and Aqualad sat on the ground below him. "Have you been feeling better?" the younger speedster asked the Atlantean.

Aqualad nodded. "I have. Aquaman has allowed me to return to my duties by his side."

"I heard Flash telling my aunt that Green Arrow murdered two people in Gotham." They looked up at Robin, who nodded.

"He killed two civilians on opposite sides of the city," Robin confirmed. "We haven't seen any signs of him in a month though."

"It has been quiet lately. Maybe he finally gave up."

"Batman doesn't think so."

"How has Roy been, Robin?" Aqualad asked.

"He's better. His bruises are all gone and Agent A says he's not skin and bones anymore."

"Does he know Green Arrow is looking for him?" Kid Flash asked.

"Yeah."

"Is he scared?"

"Probably. Wouldn't you be?" There was an awkward silence when Robin realized that yes, Kid Flash probably would be scared because Kid Flash had been in Roy's position.

"I am sure you and Batman will protect him," Aqualad supplied, trying to ease the awkward silence.

"Of course we will. Green Arrow can't touch Roy as long as Batman is there. I just wish we could get his medals."

"Medals?"

"Apparently, Roy spent 6 years competing in archery tournaments and he has lots of medals from them. They're some of his few possessions."

"I thought you said his room and lots of stuff."

Robin scowled. "Stuff Green Arrow bought to keep him under his thumb. These medals are actually his."

"So why don't you go get them?" Kid Flash asked.

"Batman says it's too dangerous. He's the only member of the League who's capable and if Green Arrow finds out then he could figure out where Roy is."

Kid Flash nodded, then stopped. His mind started racing and he smiled. He started vibrating. "Are you ok?"

"Just lot's of energy. Uh…We were fighting the Rogues earlier today. They tried to steal something out of the Flash museum."

Robin smirked. "We had to put Riddler back in Arkham last night." He jumped down, landing in an easy crouch. "Come on, let's go find a gym so Kid Mouth can run before he vibrates through the floor."

"Dude I wish!" Without asking for permission, he scooped Robin up in his arms. "You're so tiny!" Then zoomed off.

Aqualad couldn't help but chuckle as he followed them.

— —

After the meeting was over, Superman couldn't help but notice Batman was a little preoccupied. He flew over to the Bat, landing next to him gently. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?" Batman asked, hoping to dodge any questions the boy scout was about to throw at him.

"I know that face. You're thinking about something. What is it?" Batman didn't answer. "Come on, you know I won't stop asking until you tell me."

"I want to teach Roy how to fight."

Superman blinked. "What?" There was no way he heard that right. "You-you want to teach Roy how to fight?"

"Yes."

"….why?!"

"I have reasons."

"You want to share some of them?"

"Not particularly." Batman moved to leave, but Superman put up his arm, blocking his exit. Batman glared at him. "Move the arm, or lose it, Clark."

"No." That surprised Batman. League members never said 'no' to him. "Tell me why you want to teach Roy to fight."

Batman glared even more. "I think it will help him if he knows he can defend himself against an attacker."

"Can't he do that already?"

"No, I don't think he can. As far as I can tell Green Arrow was only concerned with reaching him archery."

"Don't you think this might be a bad idea?"

"No."

"No?! Batman, he was abused! You taking a swing at him isn't going to make this better!"

"I know what I'm doing Clark. You entrusted his well-being to me, now I get to decide how to help him."

"We also won't stand by and let you do something that will make him worse."

"I know what I'm doing Clark. Do you honestly think I would purposefully do something I know will make him worse?" Superman didn't answer. "I didn't think so."

Superman sighed. "Just….please be careful."

"I know what I'm doing." He shoved Superman's arm away and swept past him. Robin was waiting for him by the zeta tube. "Let's go."

"To the Bat mobile!" Robin flipped through the zeta with Batman following right behind him. "Hey Batman," he said as they drove towards the Bat cave. Batman grunted. "Can Kid Flash come visit us again?"

"…Why?"

"Because it would be good for Roy."

"Mhm. This would the nothing to do with your being friends with him?" After the visit from the speedsters, he'd noticed Robin messaging Kid Flash online and had been monitoring them.

"….No?"

"Nice try."

"Please Batman?"

Batman sighed. "Maybe."

"Yes!"

"I'm not saying yes Robin."

"You're not saying no either."

They pulled into the Bat cave and Robin hopped up. He went to go get changed while Batman sat down at the Bat-computer. Bruce pulled back the cowl and opened Roy's file. He wanted to check the surveillance footage he had of Roy's patrols to see if he could get a better idea of Roy's current fighting ability. He watched one of the videos, making close observations. Roy was decent at dodging bullets, better than Bruce expected him to be and he always seemed to engage criminals from afar, which made sense.

'Oliver really didn't train him before taking him out on the streets.' There was that murderous feeling again. He took a very deep breath and squashed it back down.

"Sir, watching old videos of Roy and Green Arrow won't make them anymore horrific," Alfred informed him.

"I don't think Queen gave him any street training."

"He took an untrained child crime fighting?!"

"Not exactly. From what Roy's told me and from what I see he gave Roy….extensive archery training." If making the boy shoot until his fingers bled counted as extensive and not just horrific. "Queen took some precautions. Roy fights at a distance, so maybe he thought there was no need to teach him hand-to-hand. He can swing his bow, but he could be a lot more effective with a bow made of the right material in strategic moves. The right fighting style could blend well with his shooting; especially given his speed. Something fast, but with an easy transition to his quiver."

"If you don't mind my saying sir, I thought you were just going to teach him self-defense?"

"I am." Alfred gave him a look. "I am, but this won't be easy. Convincing him I'm not just doing this so I have an excuse to hit him alone will take time. If I can connect it to something that he already knows that should make it easier for him." Alfred was still giving him a look. "It's the truth."

"Of course it is sir." Dick came running back, doing a handspring over Alfred's shoulder. "I am not a springboard Master Dick."

"Sorry Alfie," Dick replaced as he perched himself on the back of Bruce's chair. "What're you doing?"

"Working out what fighting Roy already knows."

"And?"

Bruce glanced up at him. "He knows his bow can shoot arrows and occasionally hit people in the head."

"Well if he's just learning self-defense his bow shouldn't matter too much."

"That's like saying your acrobatics shouldn't matter when you're fighting." There was no response so he glanced up again and found a horrified look on Dick's face. "Thought so."

"One question, if you're not an archer, how are you going to teach him to fight with a bow?"

"I think it's time for you to go to bed."

"You're avoiding the question."

"We'll discuss it more tomorrow. Now go to bed." Dick left and ran upstairs into the Manor. He was passing Roy's bedroom when he heard yelling. He immediately detoured into the room and turned the light on. Dick crept up on the teen, who was twitching and mumbling. Another cry escaped his lips and Dick shook him gently. "Roy. Roy wake up." Roy just kept twitching. "Roy. Roy wake up!"

"Ah!" Roy sat up and Dick quickly backed up, remembering what Bruce had told him about giving Roy space.

"It's ok Roy. It's ok you're safe." Roy's breathing was erratic and sounded more like gasping. "In. Out. In. Out." Dick guided Roy's breathing like Bruce would do until the teen could breathe on his own. "You ok?"

"Y-yeah…" Roy stammered. He curled up. "I'm fine." One look at his place and sweaty complexion had Dick doubting that. "Did-did I wake you up?"

"No, we just got home."

"Oh." Roy buried his face into his legs. It didn't scare Dick the way it used to given how often Roy did it. He sat on the bed patiently, waiting for Roy to emerge. He watched the teen carefully. He was clutching his pants like they were a lifeline and he was shaking. Unable to sit by, Dick gently slid up next to Roy and wrapped a small arm around him. Roy didn't acknowledge him, but he didn't move away from him either. Dick leaned his head against his friend. Eventually, the shaking stopped and Roy's hands released his pajama pants. Dick turned the light off, then slipped back under the covers with Roy. "I'm sorry."

"Why do you keep apologizing?"

Roy shivered. "Oliver didn't like it if I disturbed him because I had a nightmare. He'd get really mad at me."

"Oh…" Dick couldn't see him in the dark, so he assumed Roy couldn't see the shocked look on his face. Even when he'd been new in the Manor Bruce would comfort him after a nightmare. Then again it shouldn't have surprised him given how Oliver; had treated Roy. He reached out blindingly until he found Roy's hand and squeezed it gently. "You don't have to apologize here." He only got the sound of Roy's breathing in response. Dick watched Roy's back in the darkness. His heart hurt over how unfair this was. Roy was scared of Bruce, scared of asking for help, scared of getting in trouble… He hadn't deserved to be treated the way Oliver had treated him, but he was stuck with the consequences. Dick moved closer to his friend, burying his face between the teen's shoulder blades. He could never shake the cold feeling he got in his stomach when he thought about what had happened to Roy. How easily it could've been him in Roy's position if he hadn't been taken in by Bruce scared him sometimes. He knew there were bad people out there, but he hadn't really thought anyone could take in an orphan only so they could use them.

"I'll be right here Roy," Dick promised as he fell asleep. "I'll be right here."


	32. Wally Goes Rogue

A/N: Everyone's favorite speedster is back! Enjoy!

Wally took a deep breath as he placed his folded Kid Flash suit into his backpack. The pit in his stomach he always got when he lied to his uncle was there. Luckily Aunt Iris was away covering a story about some politician who'd done something they claimed wasn't "Wally appropriate", so he didn't have to worry about her. He calmed himself down with another breath. Lying to Barry was bad, yes, but he needed to remind himself Barry wasn't his father. 'It's not like that with Uncle Barry,' Wally reminded himself silently as he went downstairs. 'It's not like that with Uncle Barry.'

"Going somewhere, Wally?" Barry asked him with a smile.

"I'm going to the comic book store," Wally answered. "The new Robin Hood issue is out."

"By yourself?"

"I've gone to the comic book store by myself before."

Barry frowned. He'd go with Wally, but he had a pile of cases to look over. "I know but these aren't normal times Wally-"

"Come on Uncle B." Wally pouted. "You trust me right?" He felt awful pulling that low blow, but he knew this was something he had to do. It worked too because Barry's resolve melted before his eyes.

"Alright, alright. You have your phone?" Wally held it up. "Ok. If Green Arrow shows up I want you to take cover whoever you can. Call me immediately. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Here." Barry took out his wallet and gave Wally a $10. "Get an ice cream on your way home."

"Ok!"

"Bring me one too!" Barry called after him as Wally ran out of the house. He chuckled to himself and sat back in his seat, going back to the file he had open.

Meanwhile, Wally walked as casually as possible. Once he was a couple of blocks from the house he found a house with a 'For Sale' sign in the front. He climbed the fence with ease and made his way quickly into the backyard. He slipped inside the shed and super-speedily changed into his Kid Flash suit. With his clothes stored safely in his backpack, he took off for downtown. He didn't plan on going to the comic book store until after he ran his errand, he needed to keep Barry off his tail after all, but the safe houses he was looking for were on the other side of the city. This was dangerous, yes. This was probably stupid, sure, but Wally knew Roy like no one else. He didn't live with him like Robin, but he knew how Roy felt. He understood how hard is was to leave behind your stuff when you were taken out of a dangerous place. Except Wally had been able to go back. He could remember Barry and two of Barry's friends from the CCPD accompanying him back to his hose so he could get his things. His science trophies; Flash action figures; clothes. He hadn't brought everything, just the important stuff. Roy deserved to have his important stuff with him in Gotham.

Which was why Wally knew he had to find the Rogues.

Granted a superhero actively looking for his villains was strange, but the young speedster knew he had a….special connection with the team of thieves. Ever since his debut as Kid Flash and he'd helped Flash stop a bank robbery, the Rogues had shown a special interest in him. He smiled as he remembered how Mirror Master had actually transported him away from the battle. Twice. After figuring out that Kid Flash wasn't going anywhere, they'd stopped fighting to lecture Flash on "responsibility" while simultaneously lecturing him on the dangers of "baby superheroes". The look on Flash's face had been priceless, but Kid Flash had been concerned with telling the Rogues he wasn't a baby and he could handle himself. After that, every fight with the Rogues just confirmed what Wally knew. The Rogues liked him. They hated Flash, which and sense since he was always stopping them and having them arrested, but with Kid Flash the always joked and pulled their punches. (Or in the case of Trickster tried to kidnap him.)

Wally entered the neighborhood of a safe house he knew the Rogues frequented. Having no other plan of action, he just ran up to the front door and knocked. No one answered, so he knocked again. After getting no reply he ran around the house in a quick circle but saw no movement inside. So he left and went searching for the next one. His knowledge of the safe houses was more by accident than anything. After a heist, he'd been helping Barry cuff the Rogues while Trickster question Pied Piper about which house they would rendezvous at after they broken out. Kid Flash had pretended to be preoccupied with trying to vibrate through a pair cuffs. He was going to tell Flash about the safe houses, he really was, but then the police had arrived and his mentor was busy making sure the Rogues were all separated and de-armed so they could be transported. He never really got around to telling his uncle about the houses, but it was useful now so he figured it was ok.

The second house also turned out to be empty, and so was the third. Wally was really curious how the Rogues had so many houses as he ran towards the fourth. He had 6 addresses, so he wasn't exactly worried yet. He stopped on the stoop of the fourth house, thankfully without running headfirst into the door. He knocked, bouncing on his heels while he waited. His excitement picked up when the door opened.

"Kid Flash?" Pied Piper asked. He frowned in confusion and crossed his arms. "Is Flash right behind you?"

"No," Kid Flash said. "He doesn't know I'm here." That was admittedly a dangerous thing to tell a villain, but the Rogues didn't kill. It made Pied Piper smile.

"What're you doing here?"

"I have a job for you guys."

"A job?" The confusion was back.

"Yup."

"What's in your bag?"

Kid Flash shrugged his backpack off and opened it. "Clothes."

Pied Piper moved the clothes around a little bit. "Huh, looks like you did slip away from Flash. Ok, Kid, come inside." Kid Flash smiled as he followed the thief into the house. Pied Piper locked the door behind them and led the young hero into a living room. Tricker was sitting on the floor, happily watching what sounded suspiciously like 'My Little Pony'; while Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, and Heat Wave sat on the couch behind him, all looking like they wanted to die.

"Did you get cookies?" Trickster asked, not taking his eyes off the tv.

"It wasn't a girl scout. We have a guest." The three people in the room looked at him.

"Baby Flash!" Trickster jumped up and hugged Kid Flash. Over his shoulder, he could see Mirror Master telling Heat Wave something. The latter nodded and got up, leaving through a door. "You came to visit us! That's so nice! Flash never comes to visit us!"

"That's because Flash isn't supposed to know where our hideout is James." Trickster let go of Kid Flash and the young speedster looked between the two Rogues. He'd know they were younger than the rest of the Rogues, but now he noticed that they couldn't have been that much older than him, if not his own age. The door opened again and Heat Wave returned, followed by Captain Boomerang and Captain Cold.

"You two better have a good explanation for this," Cold said, eyeing Kid Flash suspiciously.

"It wasn't us," Pied Piper replied. "He showed up at the front door. Claims he has a job for us."

"Him?" Captain Boomerang asked, pointing at Kid Flash. "The superhero has a job for the thieves?"

"I smell a trap," Weather Wizard said.

"Flash doesn't know I'm here," Kid Flash told them. "He has no idea about any of this. I came here because I need something stolen and you guys are the only ones I know who can do it."

"I still say it's a trap."

Cold smirked. "Trap or not I'm curious. Alright Baby Flash, what's the job?"

"I need you guys to steal something from Oliver Queen," Kid Flash told them.

"I was right," Weather Wizard said turning to look at Cold. "It's a death trap."

"Flash is sick of us enough to hand us our death certificates but not man enough to do it himself?" Heat Wave asked. "I thought he had more class than that."

"It's not like that-" Kid Flash began, but was cut-off.

"No, it is like that. Having us steal something from Oliver Queen? In Star City? That's a death sentence."

"He's right," Pied Piper agreed. "Everyone knows Star is "protected" by the Green Arrow. Unlike you and Flash he has no problem killing criminals. Which we are."

"I know," Kid Flash nodded. "I know it's dangerous, but you guys are really good thieves. If anyone can do this it's you."

"What exactly do you want us to steal?" Cold asked.

"Archery medals."

"Why?" Kid Flash bit his lip. "Details or we tie you up and Flash gets a ransom note left at the foot of his statue."

"Oliver used to have a kid named Roy."

"Roy Harper," Pied Piper said. "What about him?"

"Well….Oliver was abusing him."

"What?" The tone of the Rogue's voice was sharp with anger instead of disbelief.

"Not anymore though. The Justice League is protecting him."

"Why is the Justice League involved?"

"I can't say."

Captain Cold nodded. "Secret identities. Ok."

"Well those medals are still in Star and….and it's not fair. Roy deserves to have his stuff with him same as anyone else. Oliver hurt him, he doesn't get to just keep Roy's things."

"Kid, I'm sympathetic. I really am, but this is Star we're talking about. Green Arrow doesn't give second chances."

"Is Roy your friend?" Trickster asked.

"He is. Please?"

"You really want us to do this, don't you?" Pied Piper asked.

Kid Flash nodded. "I remember when I got to get my important stuff and it made me feel better and-"

"Wait, what?" several Rogues asked at once.

"Huh? Oh….uh….My…I was….abused too…Before-before I lived with Flash."

Piped Piper looked At Captain Cold and the older Rogues sighed. He wanted to say no. He was going to until he saw the look in Piper's eyes. Dammit, he knew that look. He knew if he said no, Piper would do it himself; along with Trickster since James went anywhere Hartley did. There was no way in hell he was going to let the kids do it alone. This was dangerous, but it'd be safer with all of them working together. "Fine, we'll do it."

"We will?!" Heat Wave demanded. He looked at Cold like he'd lost his mind.

"Yes." Cold gave his friend a 'back off' look. He looked at Kid Flash. "We'll get those medals Baby Flash."

"Really?! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"You better get home before Flash gets suspicious. We have a heist to plan."

Kid Flash was grinning as Pied Piper led him back to the door. "Stay safe out there Baby Flash," the thief said as he unlocked the door.

"Thanks, Piped Piper."

The young Rogue smiled. "Call me Hartley. Only when we're not fighting though."

"Ok. Bye Hartley." There was a gust of wind and Kid Flash was gone. Hartley went back inside to discover the others were still discussing the job.

"We're criminals," Mick insisted. "We don't help heroes, we fight them!"

"We're helping an abused kid get his property back from a low-life scumbag," Digger argued. "It ain't like we're helping Flash."

"Why would someone hurt Baby Flash?!" James demanded. Hartley sat on the ground next to him.

"Some people are like that," Hartley explained. "They're lowlives, but it happens."

"Not to Baby Flash…." James hugged Hartley, who patted his back.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Mick said.

Snart looked at him. "I don't give a damn. We're doing this job. Don't think of this as helping a hero. Think of this as us stealing from some rich dude and we just happened to find some medals we thought looked like they were worth something."

"Or James liked that they were shiny," Sam joked.

"Whatever works. This is risky, but there's bound to be so valuable stuff in the mansion of his."

"Bet there'll be lots of shiny surfaces."

"It's like a bank heist, just challenging. Hartley."

"What?" Hartley asked, looking over James, who was still attached to him.

"Tell us everything we need to know about Oliver Queen."

Meanwhile, Wally found a place downtown to change out of Kid Flash suit and stuffed it back in his backpack. He walked casually to the comic book store, half worried his uncle would ask about why it took him so long. Then he remembered his aunt said that Barry "needed a clock taped to his head" and decided he probably wouldn't notice. He smiled to himself as he walked into the store. The meeting with the Rogues had gone better than he'd expected it to. He'd known they'd be resistant to do it, stealing things in Star City came with a chance of death, but he'd been confident that he could talk them into it. And he'd been right! Not only that, but he was pretty sure he and Piped Piper- Hartley were kind-of-sort-of friends now. Wally bought his comic and got ice cream for himself and his uncle. His was gone by the time he got home, running around the city had given him an appetite, and Barry's was a quarter gone. (Never trust speedsters with food). When he walked in the door Barry was on the phone with someone.

"Ok. Next week is fine." Barry hung up and beamed. "Is that mine?"

"Yup!"

"Really?" Barry took the ice cream from him. "Why are there bite marks in it?"

Wally shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know why there are bite marks?"

"Nope. No clue. Maybe a ghost ate it."

Barry smirked then started laughing. "I'll let it go this time, but you should know better than to get between a speedster and his sugar."

"Who were you on the phone with?" Wally asked, eager to change the subject.

"Batman." His nephew's eyes went comically wide and the gasp almost made him choke.

"You have Batman's phone number?!"

"Yes. I have Superman's too."

"What did Batman want?"

"He says that Robin and Roy want you to come over again."

"Really?!"

"Yes. He claims that he's just allowing it to benefit Roy's recovery, but just between us, I think he's happy both Dick and Roy are making a new friend."

"Canwegonow?! Canwegonow?!"

"Slow down kid. We're going next weekend."

"Ok!" Perfect. Hopefully, the Rogues would have Roy's medals by then. Wally grinned, darting forward to take another bite of Barry's ice cream. He ignored the "hey!" this got from his uncle and ran upstairs.

— —

Alfred knocked on Roy's door. "Master Roy?"

It opened and Roy poked his head out. "Yes?"

"Master Bruce has requested you meet him in the gym."

Roy frowned, but then quickly nodded. "Ok." He left the safety of his room and followed Alfred downstairs. 'Too close,' he thought as they walked. 'I was too close to asking why.' He shivered. 'You can do better than that Roy. You know better than to ask why.' If he wanted to stay relatively untouched he needed to remember how to behave. He swallowed before entering the gym. Bruce was punching a punching bag, causing Roy to shrink against a wall.

Bruce stopped and looked at Roy. "There's no need to be scared."

Roy swallowed again and slowly took three steps towards him. "You wanted to see me?"

"I have a proposition for you."

That caught Roy by surprise. "….Ok."

"If you want, and only if you want, I'd like to teach you how to fight."

"F-Fight?"

"Yes. I think that if you can learn to defend yourself against an attacker, it might give you some more confidence." Bruce honestly couldn't tell if Roy wanted this. He just looked afraid and confused. "Roy?"

Roy swallowed. He thought back to watching Bruce spar with Dick. 'Well, he's a lot more subtle than Oliver was.' He took a deep breath. "Ok."

"You want to learn to defend yourself?"

"Of course! Whatever-whatever you want."

Bruce frowned. "No, Roy, we'll only do this if you want to." He tried to put emphasis on the last few words. "If you don't want to it's completely understandable and I won't be mad at you."

Roy's eyes searched his face. There was no anger or aggression. No signs that he was irritated. "Really?"

"Yes. So, do you want to learn how to fight?"

Roy hesitated. Did he? He was pretty sure he kind of did. He wouldn't use it against Bruce obviously, but maybe it could help him block blows and keep himself better protected. "I do."

"You really do?"

"Yes. I do."

"Ok. If you want to stop at any time all you have to do is say something and we'll stop. I promise."

"Ok." Roy shifted uncomfortably. "Can-can we start right now?"

Surprise was not something Bruce experienced often, but Roy managed to cause it several times. "Of course." He stepped back and gestured for Roy to follow. He led the teen to the smaller punching bag, the one Dick usually used. Roy did so, trying to squash the feeling of anxiety that was building inside of him. "Show me how you punch." Roy stared at him. "On the bag." Roy nodded and punched the punching bag. It was hard and heavier than he was expecting.

"Did I do it wrong?"

"Not wrong, just not effective. Make a fist." Roy did so. Bruce reached out to fix his fingers, then stopped. "I'm just going to fix your fingers, ok?" Roy nodded. He flinched a little bit as Bruce gently unclenched his fingers and fixed them. "Like this." Bruce stepped back. "Now, when you punch you have to use more than just your arm. Stand like this." Roy looked down at Bruce's feet, then copied him.

"Like this?"

Bruce checked, then crouched down. "I'm going to fix your stance, ok?"

"Ok."

Roy did his best to keep his breathing steady as Bruce carefully fixed his legs. "Put your weight on this leg." Roy did as he was told. "Good now twist-" Roy jerked away and Bruce quickly pulled his hands back. "I need to put my hands on your torso to show you how to move your body. Is that ok?" Roy hesitated, then nodded. "You sure?"

"Yes."

"Ok." He moved slowly, noticing how Roy's eyes never left his hands. He let his hands linger on Roy's body for a moment to show the boy he wouldn't hurt him before he adjusted how Roy was angled. "You need to be twisted like this." He stood up and stepped back. "Stay like that for a moment."

"Ok."

Bruce had to admit he was impressed. Despite how thin Roy had been when he first came to live with them he had a lot of muscle tone and strength for someone his age. His whole body was immobile, holding the position with no obvious signs of strain. Bruce would've at least expected to see some shaking in his arm, but after 15 seconds the limb hadn't moved an inch. He was honestly impressed. Part of him even wanted to wait and see how long it would take for signs of strain to appear, but he knew that would just be cruel; especially given how Oliver had been with Roy. "Remember how this feels ok?" Roy nodded. "Ok. Now when you punch, twist your first and put your whole body into it. Don't forget to breathe. Exhale while you punch."

"O-ok." Roy looked at the punching bag. He took a breath, then exhaled and drove his fist into the bag. It was a solid impact that surprised him so much he jumped back. He stood there unmoving for a second before he looked at Bruce. "Did-did I do it right?"

"You did."

"Huh." There was no smile, no real sense of victory on the teen's face, but he was calm and not having a panic attack, so that was something. Bruce didn't push him to do it again, wisely sensing that he shouldn't try to push Roy too hard. Once again taking him by surprise though, Roy stepped back up to the bag and punched it again. He had to wait a few seconds every time he punched it, but Bruce could tell that deep down he might've been excited about this.

— —

"Are you sure I can't bring my acid eggs?" Trickster asked, putting another one of his "toys" in his pockets.

"Yes Trickster," Pied Piper said. "Remember, the goal is to make it look like we weren't even there so Green Arrow won't go after us."

"Right. Right."

"Let's get moving," Captain Cold told them. "I just convinced Heat Wave not to burn down Queen's home and I'm not sure how long it'll last."

"I'd give it a good 5 minutes," Heat Wave muttered. "He's a piece of child-abusing ass. Maybe we should just burn his arm off."

"He's friends with Green Arrow," Captain Boomerang reminded him. "As much as I'd like to teach him a lesson, I also like living."

"Let's go!" Cold told them. They weren't having this argument. Again.

Mirror Master shot his gun at a nearby mirror and led the others into the mirror dimension. He'd already scouted ahead so he knew exactly where they needed to come out to be inside Queen's Mansion.

"I hate it here," Pied Piper muttered, holding tight to Trickster's hand so he didn't get lost.

"Here," Mirror Master said. He jumped through the portal and landed safely on the other side. He let out a low whistle. "Nice."

Weather Wizard landed beside him and smiled. "There has to be some good stuff in a place like this."

"It's so big!" Trickster smiled. "We should live in a place like this!"

"Maybe someday kid," Cold said. "Spread out and find the medals."

"Let's go!" Trickster grabbed Pied Piper's hand and dragged him up the stairs.

"Let's see if we can figure out which one of these rooms belonged to Roy," Pied Piper advised. "I bet they're in there."

"Ok!" They started trying to open doors but quickly found many of them were locked.

"Is every door locked?"

"Not this one!" Trickster disappeared into a room. "Whoa!"

Trickster followed him quickly. He was in a large bedroom that probably hadn't belonged to Kid Flash's friend. Everything was just too….neat. The wall to his right had a large dresser with folders on it. The wall next to him had an entertainment center, but nothing else. The door or doors since the closet contained two large, double-doors, to the closet were open. Facing him on the far wall was a king sized bed with a trunk pushed against the footboard. "There's no way this is a teenagers room."

"Why?" Trickster asked, poking his head out from the closet.

"It's too neat. There's like nothing here."

"Not true! There're clothes! Shirts, and pants, and ties-"

"Focus on the medals." Piper looked inside the true at the foot of the bed, but it was empty. He looked under the bed, but that was empty too. "For a rich guy, he doesn't have a lot of stuff…" He started opening drawers in the dresser and looking through them. "Find anything?!"

"I found a pen!"

"Did you find the medals?"

"No…"

Pied Piper smiled and kept looking. Finally, in the bottom right-hand drawer, he found something. "I got something!" It was a small, brown cardboard box.

"Is it the medals?!"

Piper opened the box and smiled. "Sure is." The box contained a pile of medals in varying colors, from bronze to silver, to gold. Mostly lots of gold.

"We did it!" Trickster hugged his friend. "Baby Flash will be so happy."

"Yeah, sure. Put this in your bag." He closed the box.

"Why? You found it," Trickster said as Pied Piper put the box in his sack. "Cold says-"

"You find it you keep it, I know. This is so Flash will believe you're the one who took them."

"Oooh."

Piper closed the dresser drawer. "Let's go."

— —

Dick stood on his hands as he watched Roy. "You're doing a good job," he noted, watching as Roy punched the punching bag.

"Thanks," Roy said. He stopped and looked at his young friend. "Don't you get tired?"

"Nope." Dick brought his legs down so they were parallel to the ground above him.

"….ok." Roy looked at the punching bag. He still wasn't strong enough to effectively use Bruce's but he was quickly proving he had greater strength than Dick's could handle.

"Does it make you feel better?" Dick straighten his legs again and shifted all of his weight onto his left arm. "Learning to fight?"

"I guess…"

"You guess?" He changed hands.

"I just…It's better I guess." He wasn't lying. It did feel different. Oliver had never really taught him how to fight, just dodge and shoot, but this was different. A good different. He watched as Dick bent his back, brung his legs down so they were almost parallel with the ground. "Aren't you worried you'll break your back?"

"Nope." Dick straightened his legs again.

"Ok then."

"I could teach you, you know."

"Huh?" Roy paused mid-punch.

"I could teach you acrobatics."

"Really?"

"Of course! I'm a professional!"

Roy smiled. "You definitely are."

"So, what'd you say? It'd be lots of fun!"

"….ok."

Dick's face lit up even more if that were possible. "Really?!" He did a flip off the balance beam. "Woo! This is going to be awesome Roy! You won't regret a thing!"

Roy just smiled. It was something still kind of a new sensation or long-forgotten. Feeling relaxed and maybe even happy. "I'm sure I won't."

— —

"You'll never take us alive Flash!" Trickster yelled.

"Yo, Trickster we're already cuffed," Heat Wave told him. "He already did take us alive."

"Oh. Right." Trickster rattled his handcuffs.

"Stop," Flash told him. "You know the cops will tighten them if they think you're trying to escape."

"We have to give them at least a day," Pied Piper whispered to his friend. He looked at Cold, who nodded. One day and they'd all be back on the streets. He smiled. One day and the adult rogues would still be in a holding cell in the Central City Police station while he and Trickster would be in juvenile hall. He leaned close to his friend. "You still got some of those acid eggs?"

"Should I use them?" Trickster whispered back.

"Not yet."

"What're you guys whispering about?" Flash asked.

"None of your business Flash."

Flash opened his mouth, then closed it and turned away. "Kid, watch them while I help the cops."

"Got it!" Kid Flash smiled. He stood in between the two groups. The older Rogues were seated on the ground on one side and the junior rogues on the other side. "You guys really thought you could steal those jewels?"

"Obviously or we wouldn't be here," Heat Wave replied.

"Kid don't talk to the prisoners!" Flash called. He turned back to the sack that the cop was going through.

"The Rogues seem awfully chummy with Kid Flash," one of them noted.

"They're just…..being themselves." Unfortunately, a truer sentence had never been spoken about the Rogues. "Are all the jewels accounted for?"

"Looks like it," said the sergeant. He picked another sack and poked through it. "Emeralds, rubies— a shiny penny…."

"Must be Trickster's bag."

"There's something in the bottom here…" The upper half of his body disappeared into the sack and emerged a second later. "A box."

"A box?" Flash asked. He took it from the cop. "Is this part of the exhibit?"

"Not that we know of."

Flash opened the box and he blinked. "Oh boy…"

"Flash? Everything ok?"

"Yeah, fine." Flash quickly closed the box. "I'll um….make sure these get returned to their owner if that's ok with you."

The sergeant shrugged. "They're not part of the heist, I don't see why not."

"Thanks."

"Men, get the Rogues down to the station and get the juniors to juvenile detention."

Flash ran back over to Kid Flash as the cops pulled the Rogues to their feet. "Wait," he said. He stopped next to Captain Cold and held up the box. "How do you explain this?"

"That's a box Flash," Cold explained. "You store stuff inside it and—"

"You know what I mean. Where did you get it?"

Cold shrugged. "Picked it up on a job I guess."

"You did?"

"I did!" Trickster called from where the police were trying to put him in a cop car. "I took the box!"

That made sense since it was in Trickster's bag. Flash sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to get any more answers. "Take them away." He stepped back and watched as the older Rogues were being loaded into the prisoner transport truck.

Meanwhile, Kid Flash was watching Trickster and Pied Piper get put in a cop car. Right before the door shut, Piper caught the young speedster's eye and gave him a nod. The door shut and Kid Flash ran over to his mentor.

"Did we do good?" he asked.

"Of course." Flash looked at Kid Flash carefully. "Kid, do you know why the Rogues have this box?"

"Uh…..no?"

"Try again. This time with more conviction." Kid Flash hung his head. "Kid-" Flash took a deep breath. "Let's get home, we'll discuss this later."

"Yes, Flash."

When they got home and changed out of their suits Barry pointed to the couch and Wally sat down. Barry crossed his arms and took a deep breath. "Why Wally?"

"Why what?"

Barry pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did the Rogues take Roy's medals."

"How do you know they're Roy's?"

"Wally…"

Wally swallowed. "They had them because I asked them to steal them."

"You….you what?!"

The urge to flinch went through Wally's body, but he fought it. "I asked the Rogues to steal the medals."

Barry bit back the urge to yell. Yelling would just upset Wally and they wouldn't get anywhere. "Wally….the Rogues are villains…. You can't just ask them for favors—"

"But that's why I asked them! They're villains! If Oliver notices the medals are gone there's no way he can connect it to the League!"

Barry sighed. That wasn't actually a bad idea. He actually thought it was kind of creative and a clever way around Batman's decision. Then he also remembered how dangerous it had been. "It was still reckless! The Rogues could've killed you—"

"They don't kill."

"They could've kidnapped you!"

"…..but they didn't."

"That's not the point. Wally, you have to think before you act."

"I know, but I had to."

"Why?!"

"Roy deserved to have his stuff." Barry blinked. Wally wasn't shrinking away from him or getting upset. He was staring Barry in the eye. "Oliver hurt him, he doesn't get to just keep Roy's things. He'll feel better having his medals, Uncle Barry."

Barry sighed, but his anger was quickly being replaced with pride. It was so unusual for him to be assertive and look Barry in the eye when defending himself. It just showed how far he'd come in the last year and a half. As proud as he was though if he didn't punish Wally, Iris would get mad at him. "I know you just wanted to help Roy, but you're still grounded. No dessert for two weeks and you go to bed an hour early."

Wally nodded. That was fair. "Ok." He was caught off guard when his uncle suddenly dashed to his side and gave him a hug. "Uh….Uncle B? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, Wally. Everything is fine."

— —

The bat glare was never something you could get used to. Barry had been pretty sure he might've been building up a tolerance, but one look at Bruce's face convinced him otherwise. He could feel Wally hiding behind him, trying to escape the intense gaze.

"So your villains just happened to grab Roy's medals when they just suddenly decided to rob a billionaire half-way across the country from them?" Bruce asked slowly, voice betraying just how ridiculous he thought that was.

"Yes," Barry confirmed. "That's exactly what happened."

Bruce kept glaring, but the speedster didn't back down. Logically, he knew the big bad bat would never physically harm Wally, but he also knew that his friend wouldn't be pleased to find out the role the young speedster had played. So he took the bat glare in stride to preserve his nephew's fragile psyche. Finally, though, Bruce spoke again. "Dick take Wally to see Roy. Take the medals with you."

"Come on Wally!" Dick smiled, leading the red-head out of the room.

Bruce's gaze never left Barry's face. "I know you're lying. There's some other part to this story and I'm certain it has something to do with Wally." Well….they didn't call him the World's Greatest Detective for nothing.

"Wally didn't do anything."

"Just keep your nephew under control Barry."

"I….will definitely try."

Upstairs, Wally wasted no time running over to Roy and plopping the box in his lap. "Here you go!" he smiled.

Roy stared at the box like it was a mirage. Like it would disappear if he blinked. Painstakingly slow, he opened the box. His medals. All his archery medals. His fingertips grazed gently over the metal surfaces like he wanted to confirm they were real. "Where did you get these?" he asked in a whisper.

"The Rogues stole them."

Roy didn't really know who the Rogues were, but he was happy they'd stolen the medals. He hadn't seen them since…. He shivered involuntarily as he heard Oliver's voice yelling at him, telling him he was an arrogant brat and the sting of a gash on his cheek, caused by Oliver's ring when he backhanded the 12-year-old trying to stop him from taking the medals. "Thank you…."

"You're welcome! I didn't really do anything. Just returned them to their rightful owner."

Somehow Roy doubted that. Dick climbed on the bed and sat with his legs crisscrossed and the tops of his feet rested on his knees. "What're they all for?" he asked.

"Yeah," Wally agreed, sitting next to him. "Give us a history, how'd you win those."

Roy honestly couldn't stop himself from smiling. Twice in one week! It was a new record. He took the pile of tangled medals out and carefully selected the oldest. "This is my first one I got when I was 6—"


	33. Bumps in the Road

When Alfred opened the door he definitely wasn't expecting to find the Gotham City Police standing in front of him. However, he was Alfred, so he recovered from his shock before anyone could notice and politely said, "Good morning Commissioner Gordon."

"Good morning Mr. Pennyworth," Gordon nodded in reply. "I was wondering if I could speak to Mr. Wayne?"

"Of course. Would you please wait out here for a moment. Last I checked he was busy doing work for the company."

"Yes of course. I'd never want to inconvenience him."

Alfred nodded and shut the door. He briskly made his way to the den where Roy and Dick were watching tv and Bruce was reading. "The Gotham City police are at the front door, sir."

"Very funny Alfred," Bruce said without looking up.

"I am very well known for my sense of humor sir, however at the moment, I am being completely serious. Commissioner Gordon is at the door with three of Gotham's finest."

"Why?" Dick asked, not missing the way Roy's body went rigid.

"He didn't say."

Bruce stood up. "Go let him in Alfred, but take your time."

"Yes, sir."

"Dick, take Roy downstairs and make sure the entrance is secure."

"Come on Roy," Dick said, grabbing his hand. He led the teen to Bruce's study and then down the stairs to the bat cave. "Here." He went over to the computer and brought up the cameras in the Manor. The small windows showed several rooms, including the hall where they slept. He could see Bruce locking his bedroom door, as well as others. "Stay down here and don't worry, ok?"

Roy nodded. "O-ok."

Dick ran back upstairs and made sure the entrance to the cave was securely shut. He then joined Bruce in the den. "He's all set."

"Good," Bruce nodded. Alfred walked in, followed by Commissioner Gordon and three police officers.

"Commissioner Gordon, sir," Alfred said announcing him.

"Good morning Mr. Wayne," Gordon said, shaking the billionaire's hand.

"Good morning Commissioner," Bruce said. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Well….I've come here for permission to search your home."

"Search my home? Can I ask what this is about?"

"This is….there's no easy way to say this….You're aware that Oliver Queen's ward, Roy Harper went missing almost four months ago, right?"

"Yes, I am. It's terrible. I wish there was something I could do for Oliver." He still felt dirty every time he had to pretend to care about that waste of oxygen.

"Did they find him yet?" Dick asked the commissioner, giving him a concerned look.

"I'm afraid not," Gordon told the boy. He turned back to Bruce. "Mr. Queen seems….convinced that you have something to do with Roy's disappearance."

"He thinks I kidnapped Roy?"

"Yes."

"Are you accusing me, Commissioner?"

"No, no, of course not." Gordon was far too aware of the power and influence Bruce had to accuse him of kidnapping. "I'm good friends with Commissioner Lance in Star City. We both agree that Mr. Queen's accusations are nothing more than the ramblings of a worried parent. I only ask that you allow myself and my officers to search the Manor quickly."

"You're not accusing me, but you want to search my home?"

"I'm just trying to help a friend sir. Roy has been missing for months and Mr. Queen is simply….desperate. So is Commissioner Lance. He's under a lot of pressure to close this case and he just wants to be able to say he did everything possible."

"I'm sure."

"My officers and I will be quick. We'll just do a quick sweep and we won't bother you again, I swear."

Bruce nodded. "Go ahead, Commissioner."

"We'll be fast sir." He nodded to his officers, who left the room.

"Dick, why don't you take Commissioner Gordon upstairs?"

"Sure!" Dick grabbed the commissioner's hand. "Right this way sir!"

Gordon smiled as he let the boy lead him up the stairs. "Thank you, Dick, I'd be worried about getting lost."

"That's ok. It's easy to get lost here." They stopped on the floor where the bedrooms were and Gordon opened the first door. "Is this your bedroom?"

"Yup! Aren't you going to go in?" he asked in confusion as Gordon shut the door.

"No, I don't think I need to." He moved on to the next door, but it was locked. "Locked?"

Dick shrugged. "We don't use all the bedrooms, why should they be unlocked."

"That's a fair point." Truthfully, Commissioner Gordon wasn't truly invested in this search. He knew it was pointless. Bruce Wayne wasn't involved in Roy's disappearance. This whole search was for show so he could tell Lance he'd done it. They both knew there was no merit to the accusations. Oliver Queen was simply a worried father who wasn't sleeping enough. Lance wasn't much better. The case was highly publicized and any mistakes on the part of the Star City police would be highly criticized. That, Gordon definitely didn't envy about his friend. Cases like this were hard enough, kids getting snatched from their homes, but with someone as public and rich as Oliver Queen? Gordon would rather be chasing down Arkham escapees. He knew despite having their best detective on the case, the SCPD had no leads and no clues, and the length of the case didn't help. Four months for a kidnapping case usually never ended well. The chances of finding Roy at this point was slim, and getting slimmer. Statistically, the poor kid was probably long dead. Gordon knew in his gut this case was destined to be filed in cold cases and spend eternity gathering dust. 'I suspect Lance knows that too,' he thought as he moved on from another locked door.

"You ok Commissioner?" Dick asked innocently. "You looked really serious."

"I'm fine Dick. This is just a very serious situation."

"I hope they find Roy soon."

"Did you ever meet him?"

"Once. We played video games together. He was really nice, but he was shy too. Still really nice though."

"Was he good at video games?"

"He was great. I was really sad when Bruce told me he was missing." Dick hung his head and feigned sadness. A few incoherent, yet sad sounds escaped his lips and he looked up at Gordon. He forced a couple of tears out of his eyes. "It's so sad and now Mr. Queen thinks Bruce did it…."

Gordon quickly knelt down to comfort the boy. "I'm sure he doesn't mean it. Mr. Queen is under a lot of stress right now and he just wants answers."

Dick sniffed. "Do you think you'll find them?"

"If we do, they won't be here in Wayne Manor or even in Gotham; I assure you."

"Ok…" Dick pulled away and Gordon swallowed nervously. He felt really bad for upsetting Dick. One: making children cry was something he tried to avoid. Two: making Bruce Wayne's kid cry was never a good idea.

"Let's go back downstairs, I don't think I'm going to find anything."

"Ok…" Dick lagged behind, quickly wiping his eyes. He smirked as he followed the commissioner. He felt kind of bad for playing with Gordon like that, but he knew they had to get the police out of here as quickly as possible. As soon as Gordon had turned back towards the den Dick went to find another one of the cops to shadow.

Which was also Alfred's current task. He was scrupulously watching the young officer who was methodically going through the rooms on the second floor. "Do try to not make a mess sir," Alfred advised. "After all, I will have to clean it all up and I don't wish to."

"Of course," the officer replied. He licked his lips nervously as he moved on to the next room. He was just a rookie, this was his third day on the job, and as such he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of not only Commissioner Gordon himself, but the richest man in Gotham as well. The butler watching him like a hawk wasn't helping either. After months in Gotham's police academy and getting assigned to the grumpiest desk sergeant in the force, he still had never met a gaze sharper and more severe than Bruce Wayne's butler. In his head, he tried telling himself to go through the usual checklist of things to do when searching. 'This isn't an official search and seizure,' he reminded himself. 'Gordon is just doing this to get the Star Commissioner off his back.' If this was a real search he certainly would've brought more than 3 officers, and they wouldn't be two rookies and an officer who was taken off his beat for reckless endangerment.

"Is this going to take much longer sir?" Alfred asked the cop as he followed him into the fifth room. "I do have other work to do, as does Master Bruce."

"Of course Mr. Pennyworth, we would never waste yours and Mr. Wayne's time."

"I should hope not."

The officer went back to his search, but he tried to move a little faster. He didn't look everywhere, it wasn't like he expected to find this kid hiding in a closet or something. He skipped corners and gazed quickly through each space. With each room, he could actually feel the butler's gaze getting sharper. It got to a point where he started just doing quickly loops in the room to get out as quickly as possible. "I think I'm done here."

"Very good sir. I shall show you back to the den."

Elsewhere in the house, Bruce was watching the officer he shadowed with just as much scrutiny as Alfred had. He let a little bit of his annoyance shine through as he did. This situation was less than ideal. He didn't worry about the Gotham PD finding anything per say, but he knew it wasn't making Roy feel any better; on the contrary, the teen was probably having a panic attack in the Bat cave at that moment. "Is this going to take all day?" Bruce asked the officer. "I have work to do."

"No, Mr. Wayne," the young officer assured him. "We'll be done quickly. I promise."

"You'd better be." He needed to watch himself so he didn't look suspicious. The last thing he needed was the police thinking he was hiding something.

The officer moved at a relatively fast pace, wanting very much to get out of Bruce Wayne's intense gaze. Like his friend, he'd only been on the job for three days. Unfortunately, fake searches weren't covered at the academy, so he had to guess how to get through this. In the end, he decided to just do a quick sweep of the room. Walk in, walk in a circle back to the door while looking, then move on to the next one. Mr. Wayne was never more than three feet from him, which really didn't help. He walked as fast as he could without running. The sooner this was done with the better off everyone would be. He was so relieved when he finally reached the last room and was able to say, "Ok, I'm done here, Mr. Wayne."

"Good."

'God this is boring,' the officer thought as he followed the billionaire. 'Why couldn't I have gotten a bank robbery or something?'

Bruce hoped Gordon and the other two officers were done too as he led this one back to the den. He wanted them out of the Manor.

— —

Down in the bat cave, Roy was pretty sure he'd never remember how to breathe. As soon as Alfred said that the police were at the front door his heart had stopped. 'Oh my god they found me,' was the only thing he'd been able to think while Dick brought him down to the cave. 'They found me, they know I killed that guy and they found me-' His panic didn't get better when Dick left him alone. Despite the ability to see everything that was happening upstairs, he couldn't calm down. The police were in the Manor, it was only a matter of time before they found him. Either one of two things would happen here.

One: the police were going to arrest him for killing that guy

Two: the police were going to arrest Bruce for kidnapping him and send him back to Star City.

Roy swallowed and tried to breathe like Alfred and Bruce were always telling too. 'In…Out…In…Out…In….Out…' His eyes found the camera that was in the hallway with their bedrooms. When the commissioner turned the handle on his room he stopped breathing. Luckily it was locked and after a quick word with Dick, he moved on. 'In…Out…In…Out…' Roy pulled his legs up and hugged them to his chest. His eye never left the screen, flicking between the different officers and trying to figure out if any of them had found evidence of him yet.

Dick shadowed the officer who was looking through study. The man passed by the grandfather clock and Roy stopped breathing. Dick said something to the man who nodded and followed him back out. They went into another room on the first floor, but the police were spending less and less time in each room. There was a burning in Roy's chest as he followed their progress. His hands shook with the prospect of having handcuffs on them. Three of the cops were now back in the den and under the watchful eye of Alfred. The burning got worse and Roy realized he was still holding his breath. He exhaled and forced slow air into his lungs. Panic still had a choke hold on the edges of his mind. He didn't want to go to jail….but he didn't want to go back to Star even more. Just the thought of being taken back to Oliver was terrifying. It made his heart pound and a cold feeling descended in his gut. It was pure terror. He shivered and dared to take his eyes away from the screen so he could put his face in his legs. He stayed like that until Bruce finally came down to the cave.

"Roy?" he said cautiously. Alfred was showing Commissioner Gordon and his officers out. (After more apologizing and reassurances of Bruce's innocence from the commissioner.) Bruce found the boy curled up in his chair. He crouched down in front of him. "Roy the police are gone now. Everything is ok."

Roy slowly brought his head up. "They're gone?"

"Yes, they are."

"They didn't find me."

"No."

Roy swallowed. "They-they would've taken me back to Oliver."

"Roy you're not going back there."

"If the police had found me I don't think it'd be my choice."

"No, but someone from the Justice League would step in."

"How do you know?"

"Because I planned for it." Roy gave him a confused look. "If someone finds out you're here, then Flash will take you to Central City."

"Really?"

"Yes. We'll keep you away from Oliver, I promise." Roy looked down at his legs but didn't lower his head; which Bruce was a little pleased about.

"I really don't want to go back." It honestly surprised Roy how true it was. How scared he was to face Oliver again. He knew Oliver didn't care about him, but he wasn't sad about it. He just wanted to avoid ever seeing the archer ever again. "I'm scared." The confession surprised Bruce.

"You have every right to be. I promise Roy, Oliver's not going to hurt you again." Roy gave him an uncertain look. "I know you don't trust me yet, but it's true." The teen seemed to curl in on himself even more. Bruce was at least on top of things enough to know this meant he was done talking. "Let's go upstairs before Dick and Alfred worry." He stepped back to give Roy space as he got up and walked slowly up the stairs. Bruce walked just behind him; slightly concerned about the silence from Roy. Dick met them in the study and wasted no time grabbing Roy's hand and leading him out.

"How severe was his panic attack sir?" Alfred asked Bruce as he shut the entrance to the cave.

"He didn't have one."

"He didn't?"

"No. He was scared and a little worked up, but no full-blown panic attack."

"Impressive. Did you congratulate him?"

Bruce frowned. "Are you…being sarcastic?"

"Certainly not sir. You did tell Master Roy he did a good job by not having one, correct?"

"No."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I take it you didn't tell him you were proud of him then?"

"Did I need to?"

Alfred sighed. "Master Bruce, I know compliments are something you think should be given out only when pigs fly, but with Master Roy, you should re-think that. He has very little self-esteem because he was belittled by Oliver Queen for two years. He needs to know that you believe in him and he needs to be told when he's doing well."

"Right…"

"You need to go against your usual habits Master Bruce. Master Roy's mental health depends on it."

"I know." Bruce sat down at his desk and rubbed his face. "This nightmare is far from over."

"How so?"

"I have a party in a few weeks. It's a charity event so all my richest "acquaintances" need to be there."

Alfred nodded, catching up quickly. "Including Oliver Queen."

"Yes. You saw how he reacted to the police Alfred, Roy wouldn't be able to handle Oliver getting this close."

"Can we simply say him sending the police to your house are grounds for no invitation?"

"I wish. I worry that if I don't invite him it'd look too weird and he'd suspect I have something to hide. He already suspects Bruce Wayne has something to do with Roy's disappearance."

"Do you suspect he may have known about Batman and Robin's identities?"

"No, not even he's that good. At most he probably thinks Bruce Wayne is in league with Batman."

"What shall we do sir?"

"I wish I knew Alfred. If I don't invite him it'll make me look guilty. If I do invite him it'll be risky and Roy will probably have a heart attack."

"I trust you to make the right decision sir."

"Thank you, Alfred. I just wish Roy felt the same."

— —

Bruce spent a few hours in his office pretending to work, but really trying to solve his problem. In the end, he gave up and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. 'If I could just eliminate Queen from my life I'd be happy,' Bruce decided as he stood up. 'I need to work out.' A few rounds with his punching bag would probably make him feel better. Or at least give him an outlet to direct his anger at. So he changed into some more comfortable clothes and made his way down to the Manor gym. He walked in and was taken by surprise when he saw Dick and Roy were already there. Dick was practicing his acrobatics, while Roy was beating on a punching bag. Apparently, Bruce wasn't the only one who needed to get rid of some pent-up energy. He watched Roy for a minute, taking in the punches and kicks that the teen sent at the immobile target. He'd progressed a lot, Alfred was right he was a quick learner, and he was going to need a heavier bag soon.

"Roy," Bruce said, approaching the teen. Roy stopped but didn't back away as Bruce walked towards him. "You've been…doing very well with your fighting skills."

"Thanks," Roy mumbled.

"Since you're doing so well maybe we should bump you up from a punching bag."

"Huh?" Fear started to creep on Roy's face and Bruce knew he had to tread lightly.

"We should start sparring."

"Oh…"

"If you're ready for it though."

"Y-yes. Of course. I-I can do it."

Bruce led Roy over to the part of the gym with the sparring mats and Dick followed them. 'This is dangerous,' he decided as he sat down on the edge of the mats. He had no idea how Roy would react to the sparring and was prepared to step in and help him if needed.

"Ready?" Bruce asked Roy. Roy nodded. "Ok." Bruce took a breath, then swung an easy punch at the teen. Roy stepped back to dodge it with ease. Bruce swung another punch, but Roy dodged it as well. "Good." Another swing was met with another dodge. Bruce moved slowly, taking time for Roy to see what he was doing and when he was coming. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm Roy. After a couple of minutes, he sped up and made his punches a little harder. He was still going way easier than he normally would, even against Dick. Another three minutes later though, he noticed something. Roy was staying calm and he was dodging every hit, but he wasn't making any moves to hit back. "Roy you can hit me." Roy just shook his head. "It's ok that's how sparring works."

"N-no." Roy knew he was supposed to. That was the point of doing this after all….but he couldn't bring himself to. His muscles refused to agree or move to strike Bruce. He couldn't shake that nagging feeling in his head warning him not to fight back.

Bruce stopped. "Roy it's ok to hit me."

"I-I can't."

"Let me try Bruce," Dick said. He got to his feet and walked over to them.

"Ok," Bruce nodded. He stepped back and allowed Dick to take his place.

"Come on Roy, let's show him how it's done." Dick swung at Roy with a bit more force than Bruce had. Roy still dodged but didn't raise his hands to hit back. Bruce watched them. Dick was obviously goading Roy into hitting back. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

"Stop. Roy, it's ok to hit back."

"I-" Roy stammered. "Sorry…"

Bruce sighed. "You don't need to apologize."

"It's easy Roy," Dick told him. "Why won't you do it?"

"I just- I can't."

"Why?"

"You're too small…" Roy looked down at his feet. "I can't- not when you're so small."

Dick clearly didn't understand, but Bruce did. Oliver'd beaten on someone who was smaller and weaker than he was, but Roy didn't want to be like him. "Roy, Dick is perfectly capable of handling himself. If anything he's more of a danger to you than you are to him."

"I can't…"

"What about Bruce?" Dick asked. "He's going easy on you."

Roy kept looking down. He mumbled something but Bruce couldn't make it out. "What was that?" he asked.

"O-Ollie didn't like it when I fought back. It made it worse…"

Realization dawned on Dick's face. "Roy," he said, "it's not like that."

"I know."

'He's not ready,' Bruce decided. "Dick you and I are going to spar. Roy, you should go find something to do."

"Yes, Bruce." Roy left the room and Dick gave Bruce a look.

"Don't give me that look."

"I thought Roy learning to fight was going to help him."

"It will, but we can't push him too hard."

"Do you really think hitting a punching bag will make him more comfortable with hitting people?"

"We don't have anything better. Let's get to work. I have a League meeting tonight and then we have patrol."

"Ok."

— —

"So how's your crazy endeavor going?" Superman asked Batman.

"What'd you mean?" Batman asked.

"Teaching Roy to fight."

"You're teaching Roy to fight?" Flash asked in confusion. "Why?!"

"Is he any good?" Wonder Woman asked.

"He is…progressing well. However, there is a slight problem."

"What is it?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"Roy won't raise his fists to another person. In front of a punching bag, he's doing remarkably well, but he won't fight back against me or Robin."

"Well, you probably remind him too much of Green Arrow," Flash pointed out. "I'm sure if he ever tried to fight back against Oliver it didn't end well for him."

"It's the size of them," Green Lantern agreed. "Batman is a lot bigger than Roy is, but Robin is too small."

"What about Aqualad?" Aquaman offered.

"What about him?" Superman asked.

"He and Roy are the same age."

"They are?!" Flash asked in shock. Truthfully, none of them had really known Aqualad's exact age, or how that translated to human years.

"Of course. They are roughly the same size. Perhaps Roy would feel comfortable fighting with him."

"It's not a bad idea," Wonder Woman nodded.

"Bring Roy next week. Maybe Aqualad can make some progress with him."

Batman nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, this wasn't a terrible idea. "I will." He hated getting help from the League for anything, but to help Roy he was willing to let Aquaman help. Besides, Flash had already helped. And Clark. At this point, what was one more? Besides, Aqualad seemed to have plenty of commons sense. Batman doubted it could hurt.


	34. Aqualad Lends A Hand

Roy looked up as Dick came back into the den with their drinks. "Alfred made lemonade!" the younger boy beamed as he handed one to Roy.

"Is it good?"

"Isn't everything Alfred makes?"

"Good point."

"Go on, taste it."

Roy took a sip. "Mmmm. You're right, everything Alfred makes is delicious."

Dick grinned. Roy had been calm and laid-back all day. He'd done well on a test the day before, so Alfred gave him the day off from "school". They'd spent the morning in the gym so Dick could teach Roy acrobatics and he could work on his fighting skills. Currently, they were playing Scrabble because Alfred had insisted they needed to "unplug". Dick stared at the board for a moment before he put down his tiles.

"You cheated."

"What? I did not!"

"Did so."

"Where?!"

Roy pointed. "Aster is not a word."

"Is so!"

"Oh yeah? Use it in a sentence."

"Because you're accusing me of cheating I'm so not feeling the aster."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Fine. Have your fake word."

Dick stuck his tongue out at him. Distantly they heard a door slam and Roy flinched a little, causing him to misplace a tile. "Bruce is home."

"I can tell."

"Sounds like he probably had a bad day."

"He-he did?"

"If he slammed the door he did. Alfred's probably chewing him out for it right now." Dick focused on the game, completely missing the look on Roy's face. "Ok, D-O-G-S. Ha! Beat that!" Dick frowned. Roy didn't respond. He was just staring at the board with a slight tremor running through his body. "Roy? Roy?"

"Huh?!"

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just….tired."

"Tired?"

"Yeah. I'm-I'm going to lay down." Roy got up before Dick could say anything else and quickly left the room. He made a quick escape up to his room and shut the door behind him. Unable to calm down he simply hid under his bed. He buried his head in his arms to try and ignore the world.

Downstairs, Dick hadn't moved from his spot. After a moment of confusion, he shrugged and clean du their game. He grabbed his and Roy's drinks to bring them back into the kitchen. When he walked, Alfred was finishing cooking dinner. "Back so soon Master Dick?" the butler asked.

"Roy went upstairs. He got freaked out about something."

"What was it?"

"I don't know."

"Well, he can finish it at dinner, which is almost ready. Will you get Master Roy and Master Bruce please?"

"Ok!" Dick ran out of the kitchen with Alfred's 'don't run in the house' following him. He ran to Bruce's study first. "Bruce!" he called, knocking on the door and opening it at the same time. "Alfie said dinner's almost ready."

Bruce sighed and rubbed his face. "Ok Dick, I'll be right there."

Dick left and ran upstairs to Roy's room. "Roy!" he called, knocking on the door. "It's almost dinnertime." He waited, but there was no reply. "Roy!" He remembered what Bruce and Alfred kept telling him about giving Roy space. "Just… don't forget!" He went back downstairs, hoping Roy would venture out on his own.

"I take it the others are coming sir?" Alfred asked Dick as he placed the food on the table.

"Yes." Dick sat down and sucked down some more of his lemonade.

"Master Dick that is the only glass of lemonade you're getting tonight."

"Right." Dick sat back and played with his fork.

Bruce came in and sat down. "Alfred I really should-"

"Eat a good meal before you have another meeting with the Justice League and patrol Gotham afterward? Couldn't have said it better myself sir."

"Of course. Where's Roy?"

"His room," Dick said.

"Why?"

"I don't know. We were playing a game in the den, then he just got up and left. He seemed kind of freaked out about something."

"You should go talk to him Master Bruce," Alfred said. "See why he is upset and convince him to come eat. He'll need his strength if he's accompanying you to the Watchtower tonight."

"Of course." Bruce stood up, knowing it was useless to argue with Alfred; even when he believed he would just make this worse. 'Just remember to stay calm and let him do all the talking.' He knocked on Roy's bedroom door. "Roy," he said. "It's time for dinner." There was no reply. "Roy?" He opened the door to find that Roy was apparently not in there. "Roy?"

"Yes…?" Came the hesitant reply from under the bed. Bruce knelt down and looked under.

"Is everything ok?" That was probably a stupid question. If everything was ok, then Roy wouldn't be hiding under the bed. "Come out please, Roy." Bruce waited for a moment, then Roy wiggled his way out and took up his usual position, curled up against his headboard. "What's wrong?" Roy swallowed but didn't say anything. Bruce walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed. "Did….Dick say something-"

"No! No Dick didn't do anything!"

"Ok, ok." Bruce thought about moving closer, but then Roy just curled up tighter and he decided not to. "Roy-" Roy flinched back and Bruce released he'd made the mistake of reaching for him. He moved his hand back. "What happened?" Roy's eyes searched his face. 'If I didn't know any better I'd say he was anticipating something.' Bruce sighed. "Roy, do you think I'm going to hit you?"

"…..yes…."

"Roy I'm not going to hit you. Have I ever hit you before?"

"…..no…."

"Why did you think it then? Did you do something wrong?"

"…..no…"

"Why then?"

Roy swallowed. "Dick-Dick said you had a bad day."

"Well….yes…" He'd also had a lecture from Alfred about "living in a civilized manner". "What does this have to do with that?"

"When-when Ollie had a bad day he'd….he'd…."

Bruce had a pretty good idea. "If Oliver had a bad day he'd take it out on you." Roy nodded. "Roy, I'm not going to do that."

"It's ok…Ollie did it all the time…"

"No Roy, it's not ok."

"He'd just…slap me around or punch me a couple of times." Bruce had to physically keep himself from clenching his fists. "It was really only bad one time…"

That was both confusing and concerning to Bruce. "One time?"

"Yeah… It was….a weekend of hell."

"What happened?"

Roy's hands gripped his pants tighter. "Last May, Ollie had a really big business deal with some other company. He'd worked on it for months and months but then the other guy pulled out at the last minute. Ollie got stuck with the aftermath and he lost thousands of dollars."

Bruce's mouth went dry. "Last May?"

"Yeah… Ollie- He was pissed."

"What happened?"

"He came home and he…he dragged me down to the arsenal and started shooting arrows at me for hours. He was yelling that he wanted to kill "him" and stuff… Then he calmed down a little bit and we went upstairs, but he suddenly got mad again and started hitting me. He just wouldn't stop… He was punching me and kicking me! When he stopped he dragged me to his bedroom-" Bruce's blood pressure went up. "and locked me in the trunk." His blood pressure went down a little bit. Just a little. "Ollie- he was…pacing for most of the night and he kicked the trunk a couple of times… The rest of the weekend was just….bad. Worse than normal bad. He would calm down but then get mad again and start hitting me. Once, I sat on the couch and he kicked me in the ribs to get me off. And-and one time he was throwing things across the room and I-I was scared one of them would hit me. I tried to get away or hide but he'd yell and I couldn't get away from him. He made me sleep in the trunk all weekend…that was ok though. When I was in there he couldn't really hurt me. He'd kick it but that just….jostled me. I couldn't eat either. Nothing all weekend long… That weekend was the first time I was afraid he'd kill me…" Roy lost what little control he had and broke down crying.

Horror wasn't really the word to use to describe how Bruce felt. There was horror, yes, but something else too…guilt. He could tell Roy didn't know, but he was the one who'd been doing business with Oliver. He was the one who'd canceled that deal at the worst possible time. He was the reason Oliver had been so pissed. Bruce swallowed and briefly squeezed his fists. "That…that was then… I would never do anything like that." Directly. "I won't take my frustration and anger out on you. I know- I know you don't believe me yet, but I won't hit you." Roy's face disappeared into his jeans and Bruce took a moment to squash his guilt back down. It was so overwhelming he could barely look at Roy. "When you're calmed down we'll go down to dinner." He didn't rush Roy or try to push him. He couldn't. The guilt was twisting his chest. It took a couple of minutes before Roy could bring his face out of his pants. "Ready?" Roy nodded but didn't say anything. "Ok." Bruce got up and stepped back so Roy could get up. He followed Roy downstairs into the dining room.

Alfred gave them a 'what happened?' look, but Bruce waved him off. Dick was clearly concerned and confused but didn't say anything. Roy just sat down and picked at his food. Bruce kept an eye on him as they ate. Roy didn't eat a lot, but he did eat half of what was on his plate. Considering what Bruce had planned that night, Roy should've probably eaten more, but Bruce's guilt prevented him from trying to force him into something.

"Roy, when we go to the Watchtower tonight, make sure you wear something….loose. Ok?" he asked as they finished eating. He and Dick at least. Once Roy finished eating he'd just sat there, staring at his plate.

"Yes, Bruce."

"Dick go down to the cave and check your belt."

"But I-"

"Dick."

"Go downstairs and check my belt. Got it." Dick brought his plate into the kitchen and disappeared towards the cave; while Roy put his half-eaten plate away and went back up to his room. Bruce got up and went to the gym. He didn't want the boys near him for a little bit. Roy would just get scared and Dick would ask questions. He closed his eyes and leaned briefly on his punching bag. Rage suddenly took over and he started punching the bag with every ounce of strength he had. The bag swung wildly as he pounded on it. stopping never even crossed his mind. The only thing that did was Roy.

Roy starving for two days.

Roy trying to avoid having something thrown at his head.

Roy sleeping in a dark, cramped space getting knocked around.

Roy alone and hurt because he was being beaten and no one was coming to save him.

Roy feeling scared and confused because he hadn't done anything and didn't understand why this was happening.

It didn't really make Bruce feel any better to beat on the punching bag, but that didn't stop him from hitting harder. He kept going until his knuckles hurt, but didn't stop. He just kept hitting harder and harder, wishing with every bone in his body that he could inflict this kind of damage on Oliver Queen. That he could make Queen feel as helpless and scared as Roy had been. More than that though, he wanted to take back his actions. Instead of provoking Queen, just letting it go. He kept punching until he hit the bag so hard it slipped off the hook and fell on the ground with a thump! Bruce stopped and stood over it. He breathed heavily with his hands shaking slightly. "I'm sorry," he breathed with his head bowed. "I'm so sorry."

"Apologizing to your punching bag sir?" Alfred asked.

"I did a terrible thing, Alfred."

"Oh?"

Bruce couldn't even look at him. "Last year I was…frustrated that I couldn't touch Green Arrow. There was no way to take him down. So I decided if I couldn't get to him as Green Arrow, I could get to him as Oliver Queen. I spent months developing a deal so that when I pulled out it would leave him in the wind and cause him to lose money. Lots of it."

"You now regret your actions, sir?"

"Queen went home and took all of his frustration and anger out on Roy."

Understanding bloomed on Alfred's face. "Ah. I see sir."

"It's my fault. If I hadn't angered Queen, then Roy wouldn't have suffered."

"Sir-"

"I remember how proud I was that weekend. I was so smug about my brilliant plan."

"Sir-"

"Meanwhile Roy spent his weekend terrified and in pain because of what I did."

"Master Bruce! You are not responsible for what happened!"

"If I hadn't made Queen mad he wouldn't have hurt Roy!"

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Master Bruce, you do realize how irrational that is, correct? It is as silly as Master Roy thinking that if he had done something different Mr. Queen would not have hurt him."

"This is different. Roy really didn't do anything, I did."

"Mr. Queen is an adult who made his own decisions sir."

Bruce shook his head. "It wasn't the only time I did it though! Nothing that major, but there were still times when I purposefully screwed Queen over." He wondered how many of those times resulted in Roy getting hurt. Probably all of them. "I didn't mean for- I didn't know- I never thought Queen would react like that." He sighed. "I left him there Alfred. I suspected he was in trouble for two years and I did nothing. I left a child to fend for himself against a grown adult. An adult I provoked to make him even angrier."

"Master Bruce you weren't the one who hit Master Roy. You have done what you thought was best and you have done everything in your power to help Master Roy-"

Bruce snorted. "Everything in my power. He's still afraid of me. He still has nightmares and flashbacks." He sighed. "He still has scars."

"The only person to blame is Mr. Queen. He and he alone is responsible for what happened to Master Roy. As you so often remind Master Dick, it will take time for Master Roy to recover. You can only do so much."

"What if he can't? What if he's like this forever and nothing I do can help?"

"You tell me, sir. Would you get rid of him if he didn't recover?"

"No! Of course, I wouldn't! I'd still take care of him!"

"Which is far more than Oliver Queen ever did sir. You are not like him and you are not responsible for what happened. All you can do now is help Master Roy move on and make sure he's taken care of."

Bruce nodded. He reached down and picked up his punching bag. The meal ring hadn't just slipped off the chain, it was broken. "I need a new one."

"I believe we have two extra in a storage closet somewhere sir."

"Mhm." Bruce looked at Dick's smaller punching bag. "We need an intermediate one for Roy."

"It is 8 o'clock sir, perhaps you should get ready."

"I should."

"If you don't mind my asking sir, are you certain this is a good idea?"

"Yes. Roy has to learn how to fight a person, not just his punching bag."

"If you say so, sir."

Bruce left the room to get changed. Tonight would be another long night consisting of a League meeting and patrol with Dick. He briefly considered giving Roy a mask, then decided it didn't matter. The League, Kid Flash, and Aqualad already knew his identity anyways. He walked silently down the stairs to the Bat Cave. Two voices carried to him in the echoing space. His footsteps became quite almost by instinct as he crept forward. Dick was already in his suit, sans mask and cape. His utility bet was in his hands as he held it up for Roy to see. Roy was looking over it with obvious curiosity.

"How many bat-a-rangs fit in there?" he asked, both boys unaware of Bruce's presence as he hid in the shadows.

"!2 in each pouch," Dick answered.

"What about your grapple gun?"

'He's very interested in the inner workings of the belt,' Bruce observed as Dick gave the best explanation he could. The boy was still only 10, and Bruce didn't expect him to fully understand the complex science that was involved in building the belts and gadgets; yet. 'I'm surprised Roy is so calm around our vigilante selves.' Well, Robin wasn't surprising. He was, after all, the person who'd directly rescued Roy from Oliver. Still though, after the terrible things Roy had seen and forced to do when he worked with Oliver, Bruce was shocked he could stand to be near Batman and Robin at all. A conversation the two of them had suddenly popped up in his mind.

'No, Roy. You tried to save the life of a kid who still could've seen the error of his ways and turned his life around. What you did took courage.'

'It didn't feel like it when Oliver was hitting me. It felt like it was pointless.'

Bruce frowned a little bit. 'He has a good heart and a good conscience. Queen wasn't successful in beating that out of him.' Which Bruce was really thankful for. 'It wasn't for nothing. Standing up to Oliver shows a lot of courage and character, especially for someone so young.' An idea started forming in the back of his mind. A way to show Roy that he'd been right to stand up to Oliver and he did the right thing. A way for him to live with all the terrible acts that he'd seen or aided in. A way to ensure Queen really didn't win. It was also crazy and risky. Very risky. 'We'll see how tonight goes,' he decided, heading over to his suit. 'If tonight goes well then we'll see.'

— —

"Robin, B01."

"Authorized Guest."

"Batman, 02."

Robin grinned as he held Roy's hand. He looked back at his friend and his smile dropped. Roy looked like he was going to have a panic attack. "Breathe," Robin reminded him. "In…Out…In…Out…"

"Robin, take Roy to wherever you're meeting Aqualad and Kid Flash," Batman advised. It didn't take a genius to guess that Roy's anxiety was being caused by the prospect of seeing the entire Justice League again. They hadn't seen him since they'd taken him out of Star, but clearly, the other heroes still scared him.

"Got it. Come on Roy." Robin led him away from the zeta and towards the gym, he, Kid Flash, and Aqualad frequented on the occasions they were allowed to be on the Watchtower during a meeting. It had stuff for Robin to climb on and a track for Kid Flash to run on. Aqualad usually stood off to the side or politely joined Robin in his climbing, but never with the same enthusiasm. Robin looked back at Roy. 'If everything goes ok today then maybe Aqualad will be a little more outgoing.'

"Can I ask you a question, Robin?" Roy asked cautiously.

"Of course!"

"You won't- Don't tell Batman?"

"Sure…?"

"Why am I here?"

"I convinced Batman you should come because you need more friends." It made him feel a little bad to lie, but Batman had suggested it to keep Roy at ease.

"Ok…" They walked into a bog room and Roy looked around. "A gym?"

"Cool huh? It's not used a lot, so Kid Flash, Aqualad, and I come here when we're allowed to come to League meetings." Which was still a very new development for Robin. Batman had always refused to bring him along in the past; until the night he told the young vigilante about Speedy.

"Do you guys come up here a lot?"

"Not really. Once in a while." A yellow streak suddenly ran into the room and stopped next to the two of them. Roy jumped back and hid behind Robin.

"Rob!" Kid Flash grinned. He darted forward and wrapped his arms around the younger boy. "Didyouseethatstop?! Didyouseethatstop?!"

"Kid I don't speak speedster," Robin reminded him, prying the overexcited kid off.

"Hi, Roy!"

"Hi," Roy responded.

"Aqualad should be right behind me."

"Indeed I am," Aqualad said walking in. Roy looked him over. This guy was different than Robin or Kid Flash. He was older and taller. He didn't run or flip like the other two, but instead walked calmly and precisely. Almost like a soldier. "Good to see you again Speedy."

"Call me Roy," Roy said.

"Roy. I do not know if you remember me, but I am Aqualad."

"I remember you." They'd only briefly met last time.

"Rob, I'll race you!" Kid Flash said suddenly. He ran off and Robin followed at his fastest, but still, a lot slower, pace. Roy wrapped his arms around himself as his heart started pounding. There's wasn't anything inherently threatening about Aqualad, but new people just made him nervous. If he picked up on it, the Atlantean didn't let on.

"I am pleased to see you look…better than you did when we first met."

"Yeah…"

"I must admit I am very curious, what is it like living with Batman?"

"It's…ok. Better than living with Green Arrow."

nod vxAqualad nodded. "I have had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him."

"You did?! When?!"

"A while a go I believe. I was with my king and Green Lantern. I was left to take care of escaping henchmen and Green Arrow suddenly attacked me."

"He attacked you?!"

"Yes. Unfortunately,j I was no match for him. Luckily Aquaman and Green Lantern came back in time."

Roy swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"He wouldn't have attacked you if I hadn't left." Roy dropped his head. How many people had to get hurt just to keep him safe? He wasn't that important. A gentle hand settled on his shoulder and he looked up.

"I do not blame you Roy. Green Arrow fights with no honor and that is a decision only he can make. I would prefer you were safe... Any hero would face a monster rather than let an innocent person get hurt."

'I'm not really that innocent,' Roy thought bitterly as a flash of red blood appeared in his mind. "Thanks. Are…Are you normally a good fighter?"

"I admit that fighting on the surface is very different than underwater, but I am learning to adapt quickly. I am also trained by the king himself, so have excellent training."

"That's cool."

"Would you like to spar? I understand Batman has been teaching you a few things as well." Roy considered it. There was absolutely nothing threatening about Aqualad. He couldn't really explain it, but the fact that he didn't have to look up at him made Roy feel more comfortable. He also wasn't as small and fragile looking as Robin. "We can go easy if you would like. Just a few simple moves."

"O-Ok." They walked side by side to the mats in the middle of the track. On the far side of the room, Kid Flash and Robin were climbing on something. Robin did a flip up and Kid Flash scrambled after him. Aqualad stood still, waiting for Roy to make the first move. Slowly, Roy pulled his hands into fists and took a cautious swing at Aqualad. The Atlantean blocked it easily, then swung back. It was an odd thing to watch. Neither of them really moved at first. Roy would punch and Aqualad would block it; then Aqualad would punch and Roy would dodge. After a couple of minutes, he attempted a block he kept seeing Aqualad used. "Ah!" He let out a small yelp when the other teen's fist connected with his arm.

Aqualad froze and pulled his hand back. Across the room, Robin froze and looked like he was ready to blot over to them. Kid Flash out his hand on the small bird's shoulder. "What dude," he said quietly. "Let Aqualad handle this."

"Are you alright?" Aqualad asked. "I hope I did not hurt you. My king has warned that my strength is significantly stronger than a human's."

"N-no," Roy replied. He looked at his arm. There was no mark and it didn't even hurt. "I'm ok."

"Would you like to continue?"

"Yeah." Roy swung at him again, this time with a little bit more force. Aqualad could feel the force as he blocked it. He swung back and Roy blocked him again. This time he only flinched a little bit. Before Aqualad could ask if he wanted to stop though, he took another swing, forcing them to move on.

"See?" Kid Flash asked Robin as the two of them watched from a distance. "He's fine."

"Uh huh," Robin mumbled, watching the two of them carefully.

Kid Flash lowered himself down so he was next to Robin. "Let's go race again!"

"In a minute."

"Dude, Roy is fine. Aqualad has this handled."

"Roy's demeanor can change at any minute."

"Have you met Aqualad? He's so calm it would probably rub off on Roy. He's fine. Come on!"

"…I guess you're right."

"Then let's go!" Robin smirked and jumped to the ground. He somersaulted to his feet without losing momentum and took off running. "No fair you cheated!"

— —

"Do you think it went well?" Aquaman asked as he, Batman, and Flash went to retrieve their kids.

"We won't know until we get there," Batman responded. On the surface he looked like his same, unfeeling self; but underneath his was curious and worried. Worried because Roy was still a little jumpy around new people and, even though flashbacks from fighting were fewer, they could still happen. On the other hand, he was curious because if Roy could learn to fight someone else, then there might be a way for Batman to really help him.

"I'm assuming everything went well," Flash told them. "We haven't heard a peep out of them." They walked in and Flash was almost immediately run over by his nephew. Normally this would've received a comment about restraint form Batman, but he was too busy paying attention to Roy. The teen was sparring with Kaldur in the center of the room. There wasn't a lot of different moves being used, mostly just the two of them blocking and punching, but Roy looked like he might've been putting force behind his hits. He wasn't drinking away from Aqualad, but standing his ground and blocking his punches.

'He's doing ok,' Batman thought. Robin appeared at Batman's side.

"Are we going home?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Batman answered. He and Aquaman moved towards the center. Aqualad spotted them and stopped.

"My king," he said, bowing his head to Aquaman.

"It is time to go home," Aquaman told him.

"Yes, my king." Aqualad turned to Roy. "You fight well for a beginner. I hope I get to see you improve."

"I will. Maybe next time I'll beat you," Roy ventured carefully. He was rewarded with a playful smile from Aqualad.

"I look forward to it."

"Bye Aqualad."

Aqualad looked at Aquaman as if asking a question. Aquaman didn't need to be telepathic to know what he was asking. He nodded, they were among friends, after all, giving him permission. "My name is Kaldur'ahm."

"Kaldur'ahm," Roy stumbled over the syllables a little bit. "Bye Kaldur'ahm."

"Good-bye Roy." Aqualad followed Aquaman out.

"How did you and Roy get along?" Aquaman asked.

"Very well. He was very nervous at first, but I think he has relaxed a little bit."

"I could say the same about you. You're certainly more relaxed than you are with Robin and Kid Flash."

"I mean no disrespect, but Kid Flash and Robin can be bit…much."

"I'd agree to that."

"They are also very young. Robin especially."

"You and Roy are the same age. Technically."

"I am glad he seems to be moving on from Green Arrow's influence."

"Yes, that is a good thing." He put his hand on Aqualad's shoulder. "Thank you Kaldur'ahm. If Batman wasn't himself he'd thank you too."

"It was my pleasure, my king."

"It's still kind of early. Are you up for some late night training when we get back?"

"Of course my king."

"Excellent! Let's go!"

Back in the gym meanwhile, Robin was saying bye to Kid Flash. The young speedster gave him another hug before racing out of the room, Flash hot on his heels. "Let's go," Batman said to the boys.

"Patrol when we get home?" Robin asked helpfully.

"After we drop Roy off in the cave, yes."

"Woo!" Robin did a handspring, placing him several feet in front of his companions.

"Did you like sparring with Aqualad?" Batman asked Roy after a moment of silence between them.

"I did," Roy answered. "It was…ok."

"Good. Maybe you could try sparring with Robin again." Debt crept into Roy's face. "I promise he's far more dangerous than you are."

"I just…. don't want to hit someone smaller and wake than me."

"That makes sense,' Batman decided. "Robin is more than capable of defending himself against you."

Roy thought about it. "I guess I could try again…"

"Good." Batman was going to put his hand on Roy's shoulder but then decided against it. He authorized for the boys to get through the zeta tube and followed. As soon as they were in the open in Gotham he wrapped part of his cape around Roy. It wasn't as startling as the first time he'd done it. Roy was silent as they drove back to the Bat cave, but he seemed more relaxed than he had been in the past. Batman pondered the situation as he drove. 'It's a crazy idea. Possibly a terrible one.' It'd require a lot of work, both from him and Roy. If it worked though, he'd actually be able to help Roy move on from his trauma. 'I guess we'll see,' he thought as he pulled into the Bat Cave. 'This might be the best idea I've ever had or the worst.' Funny enough, that was his exact thought when creating Robin.


	35. A Party to Remember

A/N: Hello readers! I have finals this week, so if I forget to update on Wednesday, that's why. I don't think I will, but if it does happen you'll know why. Enjoy!

"What's wrong?" Dick asked as he sat down at the table.

"What'd you mean?" Roy asked him. Dick's favorite breakfast, waffles, was sitting deliciously on a plate in front of him. Roy's own favorite, sometimes he still marveled he was allowed to have a favorite, pancakes, were in front of him.

The other boy looked at Bruce suspiciously. "Alfred made our favorites and you're still here."

"I can't go into my own office a little late?" Bruce asked.

"This only happens when you have bad news."

'Bad news?' Roy thought as he glanced at Bruce.

"He knows you too well sir," Alfred said with a slight smirk.

"Unfortunately," Bruce sighed. "Dick, you already know this, but every summer I host a party-" Dick groaned. "Hush. I host a party that acts a fundraiser."

"It's the literal most boring thing to ever exist," Dick moaned.

"That's not the bad news Dick."

"What is then?"

"I have to invite Oliver." Roy stopped breathing and his face when deathly white.

"What?! Why?!"

"Inside voice Master Dick," Alfred reminded him sternly.

"Bruce Oliver is-"

"I know what he is Dick," Bruce replied stonily. "Trust me, I know. I have to though. If I don't it'll look suspicious. I don't want him to this I have anything to hide."

"Tell him he can't come because he sent the police to your house!"

"Even then he might suspect. We have to put up as normal as front as possible."

"It is just an invitation young sir," Alfred reminded the boy. "There's no guarantee he'll even come."

"What if he does?!"

"Dick!" Bruce snapped. "I know you're upset, but we have rules about yelling." Bruce looked at Roy. The teen was staring at his plate, completely immobilized. He was pale and shaking a little bit. "Roy. Roy." Roy looked at him. "You haven't said anything."

Roy swallowed. "Ollie's coming here?" he squeaked quietly.

"Roy, I promise we will do everything in our power to keep you safe. You'll be downstairs in the Bat cave the whole time and you can watch the party on the monitors to keep one eye on him if you want."

"But…he's going to be…here?"

"Possibly. Like Alfred said, he might not accept."

"He will."

"You don't-"

"I do. I know how he thinks." Everyone was quiet. "If he thinks I'm here he won't trust the police. He'll want to search himself."

"He's not going to find you. You'll be well hidden, I swear."

"He'll find me." The resignation in Roy's voice broke Bruce's heart a little bit.

"No, he won't. We'll keep you safe, I promise." Roy didn't look convinced.

"I'm not really hungry…. Can I go upstairs?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

"Are you certain he shouldn't eat?" Alfred asked Bruce.

"I'm not forcing him to eat." Truthfully Bruce didn't want to force Roy to do anything.

"Bruce, Oliver being here will give Roy a heart attack," Dick said.

"I know Dick. I wish there was another way."

"Do you really think Oliver will come?"

Bruce sighed. "I don't know."

— —

Oliver was suspicious as soon as he saw the invitation. "Bruce Wayne's annual fundraiser?" He examined the envelope carefully, searching for any clues of Anthrax or a bomb. Finding none he opened the letter and pulled out the thick-papered card. 'You're invited' it proclaimed on the top in loopy, gold letters. Underneath was the price of a ticket, $750, as well as the time, date, and place; as well as the number to RSVP. Oliver sat on the edge of his desk as he looked it over. "So Wayne thinks he can trick me?" That's what this invitation was: a trick.

He stood up and moved around to the other side to sit in his desk chair. Without letting go of the invitation in his left hand, he opened the top drawer on the right-hand side. Rest inside was Roy's discarded mask, four electronic bugs, and a small, almost unnoticeable camera. Almost unnoticeable. Anger built up inside of Oliver. "Batman thinks he's slick going through Wayne to spy on me." He crumpled the invitation up in his hand. "As if I'd trust those incompetent fools at the Gotham PD to actually find anything." In a way this was perfect. If Batman was hiding Roy anywhere in Gotham, Bruce Wayne would know somehow. This party, even if Bruce Wayne was the most annoying man on the planet, was a perfect opportunity to find out what Wayne knew about Roy's location.

"If he's in Gotham," Oliver muttered, smoothing the invitation out. Which Oliver highly doubted. He would've thought Roy would be in Central City with the Flash or in Metropolis with Superman. However, it had been 4 months and he'd found no trace of his missing ward and the Justice League wasn't giving away anything either. Oliver slammed the drawer of his desk shut. With Roy gone there was only so much he could to alleviate his anger. "This freaking kid is going to be the death of me." At this rate, it was almost proving to be more trouble than Roy was worth. "The League can't hide him forever. I will find him. When I do he's going to regret ever stepping foot outside of this house."

— —

The night before the party, Roy went to bed feeling numb. Upon finding out that Oliver was coming he'd had a panic attack that took Bruce a few minutes to talk him out of. Now he was curled up under his blankets. He tossed and turned, tangling himself up in his blankets. At some point he managed to fall asleep, only to be awoken by the door banging open. Roy shot up in bed, blinded when the light was suddenly turned on. "Wha-" His voice died in an instant when he saw Oliver standing in the doorway. "You-you can't be here."

"Did you really think that you could hide from me?" Oliver asked as he walked closer. He was wearing a hood that cast a shadow over his face. Combined with his mask, it gave Oliver's face a dark, unidentifiable look. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you?"

"Ollie- I-I can explain-"

"Roy!" Roy's face paled at the sound of Dick's voice. "Roy!" Oliver's head turned towards the sound of the boy's voice.

"No, don't hurt him!"

"Roy-" Dick stopped when he walked into the room and saw Oliver. Before either Dick or Roy could react Oliver pulled an arrow out of his quiver and shot it at Dick. Roy stopped breathing when the blood blossomed on Dick's shirt, quickly soaking into a large circle.

"No…" Roy whispered, unable to breathe. HIs muscles started working again and he darted forward. Oliver didn't move as he ran to his friend, merely following Roy with his head. He managed to grab Dick as he fell; effectively getting blood on himself. "Dick…" Dick didn't say anything as his eyes closed and he went limp against Roy. "No…Dick…" He set his friend down in the doorway, which was a little hard to do gently since he was shaking.

"Let's go," Oliver said darkly. He grabbed Roy's arm and dragged him out of the room. Roy didn't try to fight. He was numb, barely able to even feel the tight grip Oliver had on him. He stumbled over his own feet as he was dragged into the hall.

"You killed him…"

"You killed him." Oliver looked right at Roy, sending shivers down the teen's spine. "You know how I operate. You know I kill anyone who gets in my way, but you still hid behind them."

"No…"

"You let other people get hurt to keep yourself safe."

"No."

Despite the deep shadow over his face, Roy could see Oliver smiling. "You don't really care about people. You're just like me."

"…No…" Roy tried to back up, but Oliver's grip kept him close.

"Roy?" Bruce's voice brought relief to the terrified teen. Roy twisted around, but Bruce wasn't moving to help him.

"Bruce…" He breathed. "Bruce…help me…" Tears started forming in his eyes. "Please….please help…"

Bruce looked at Dick's body, then at Roy. He didn't take a step forward. "You killed him."

"No…"

"I took you in and you killed my son."

"I didn't-" Roy could barely form a coherent thought. "Bruce, please! Please don't let him take me!"

"Why should I help you?"

"Please! Please don't let him take me!"

"Come on," Oliver said, dragging Roy back.

"Please, Bruce! Please! I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back with him!" He was crying and probably hyperventilating, but he didn't care. "Bruce I'm sorry! I'm sorry please don't let him take me!"

"Roy!"

"Please! I'll be good, I promise! I"ll behave!"

"Roy wake up!"

"I'll do anything, please!"

"Shut up!" Ollie snapped at Roy, slamming him into a wall. The momentum caused Roy's eyes to close for a moment. He opened his eyes and he was back in his bed. He realized he couldn't move and he couldn't breathe. 'Oh my god I'm dying! I'm dying!'

"Roy," Bruce said. "You need to calm down." He put his hands on Roy's face to draw his attention. "Roy look at me. Look at me. In…Out…In…Out…In…Out…" Roy tried to follow Bruce's instructions, but his brain wasn't comprehending the concept of breathing. "In…Out…In…Out…In…Out…You can do it. Nice and easy. In…Out…In…Out…" It took 15 minutes before Roy's breathing was somewhat under control. Roy looked around. Dick was kneeling on his bed, staring at him worriedly. Bruce was sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking stoic but tense. He looked down at himself and saw that he was tangled in a web of his blankets and sheets.

"Roy are you ok?" Dick asked.

"I…" Roy didn't know. His voice was hoarse, almost foreign to his own ears.

"Hold still." Dick carefully started pulling the blankets free, carefully unwinding them from Roy's limbs. Bruce helped, once again feeling out of his element and completely useless. Unfortunately, this was a feeling he was getting used to. They managed to get Roy free and he automatically pulled his legs up to his chest. "It's ok Roy, it was just a dream." Roy didn't say anything. He just buried his face in his legs.

"I'm sorry," Roy mumbled almost incoherently. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything wrong."

Bruce looked at the clock. 4:30 am. He'd dropped Dick off at home 3 hours ago and just gotten him from patrol himself a mere half an hour ago. Dick scooted up next to Roy and wrapped an arm around him. He kept reassuring Roy to try and get him to calm down. 'Sadly I don't think we're getting any more sleep,' Bruce thought. Which was unfortunate because the party was that night. Gentle footsteps tapped the floor behind him.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred asked. "I take it Master Roy had a nightmare?"

"More like a night terror."

"I take it then we are all up for the morning?"

"Yes."

"I shall make some hot chocolate for them then."

"I'll…I'll come with you. I could use some coffee." Bruce stood up and look down at Roy. He was still curled up in a tight ball with Dick's small arm draped over his shoulders. "I'm not exactly a big help here." He followed Alfred downstairs to the kitchen while Dick kept talking quietly. His footsteps were heavy and his shoulders were slumped. He wasn't tired per say; he was just…unsure.

"Something on your mind Master Bruce?" Alfred asked him.

"Nothing."

"Sir one of these days, you shall say that and will believe you. However," he placed a cup of coffee in front of Bruce. "today is not that day."

"It really is nothing Alfred." Alfred gave him a look. "When Roy was having his nightmare he…he was shouting Alfred."

"That's hardly unusual sir."

Bruce took a deep breath. "Please help." Alfred froze and looked at him. "I don't want to go back with him." He looked at Alfred. "Bruce I'm sorry. I'm sorry please don't let him take me." His first tightened. "I'll be good, I promise. I'll do anything."

"Master Bruce-"

"I'm bringing Oliver Queen into my home tonight. He beat Roy and I'm bringing him here."

"Sir, we both know you did everything you had to."

"My excuse for everything I do that ends with Roy getting hurt."

"Master Bruce, I have the utmost confidence that you'll keep Master Roy safe tonight."

"He thinks I'd just let Queen take him. That I wouldn't help him. Am I really that much of a monster?"

"You are not a monster. Oliver Queen is the monster. Focus on helping Master Roy get through tonight. One obstacle at a time sir." Bruce nodded. "Now, I shall take the boys their hot chocolate."

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce took another sip of his coffee and sighed. The next 18 hours should be interesting for sure. He finished his coffee, then got showered and changed. It was close to 6 by the time he was back downstairs. Roy and Dick were at the table eating breakfast when he walked in. Well, Dick was eating; Roy was picking at his food, only putting the tiniest morsels into his mouth. He was a little pale, but looked awake enough.

"Are you eating Master Bruce, or shall I just assume you'll be running solely on coffee today?" Alfred asked, handing him a cup.

"Just coffee is fine Alfred. I have a lot to do."

"Of course sir. Master Dick, Master Roy, after breakfast I expect you two cleaned up and dressed after you eat.

"Ok Alfie," Dick replied. He noticed Roy had barely touched his food. "Aren't you hungry Roy?"

"Not really…" Roy mumbled.

"Can you at least eat one bite?"

Roy lifted his fork and forced a small bite of food into his mouth. He swallowed with difficulty. "There."

"One more."

"Dick…"

"You did one, you can do another."

Roy sighed. For some reason, the fork felt kind of heavy in his hand as he picked up another small piece of egg. He forced it into his mouth and down his throat. "Done."

"One more bite."

"Dick, I"m really not hungry."

"One bite won't kill you."

It wasn't death Roy was afraid of. All of his muscles felt too weak to lift even his fork and his stomach felt shoveled up to the point that no food could fit in it. "Why?" The question left his mouth before he could even really register it. His breath hitched and his heart rate sped up considerably. Dick, however, didn't seem to notice as he continued to eat his own breakfast.

"We have a busy day today. You'll need energy."

"Nor do I want anyone else in this house skipping meals," Alfred told them. "However, Master Dick should know better than to try and force you to eat." Dick looked down at his plate. "If you're done Master Roy, then I suggest you get cleaned up and dressed."

"Yes Alfred," Roy said. He took his plate into the kitchen, then went upstairs to his bedroom. He made his bed, one of the few chores he was given, smoothing out the blankets neatly. He took a hot shower, happy to wash off the cold sweat left over from his nightmare. He did his best to keep his mind off what was coming. Oliver was in Gotham. In less than 12 hours he'd be in the Manor. Roy swallowed and took deep breaths. He'd always found showers to be relaxing. Then again, any place where Oliver hadn't hurt him was relaxing. He got dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants since all he was doing most of the night was sitting down in the Bat Cave. During the day he wanted to burn off steam.

"Roy," Bruce said from the teen's bedroom.

Roy opened his bathroom door. "Hi."

"You look…better."

Roy ducked his head. "I'm sorry I disturbed you earlier."

"You didn't, I hadn't even gone to bed yet."

There was a moment of tense silence. "Did you…need something?"

"No, I just…wanted to check on you."

"Oh…." Another silence. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Even more silence. "Try not to worry about tonight."

"I'll….try."

"I know you're scared, but it has to be this way. If I do anything to make Oliver more suspicious, he might do something stupid and drastic like breaking in. If he did that we wouldn't have time to hide you." Yeah, that didn't terrify Roy or anything. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good." Then more silence.

"Are…can I go?"

"Go where?"

"Just to the gym. If that's ok."

"Of course, that's fine. We'd have a lesson today, but I have work to do before the party."

"It's ok, I understand."

Bruce stepped aside to let Roy pass. Roy slipped past him and walked quickly down to the gym. He knew Alfred was cleaning more intensively than normal due to the party, as he had been for the past few days, but today most of it was being focused on the rooms where the guests would be. The ballroom, the dining room, the foyer, the den. Bruce's study was off-limits, which Roy figured was supposed to make him feel better. Once inside the gym, Roy hesitated for a only a second before going over to his punching bag. Bruce had gotten him a punching bag that was much better suited to his own size and strength. He stepped to it and didn't hesitate before punching it. He punched and kicked the bag with preciseness. The bag moved only slightly with the force of the blows. It wasn't the psychical act of hitting that Roy needed it was just movement. He could focus on making sure his punches and kicked were correct and how much force he was using so he didn't think about the party.

After a while, his fists started to ache a little bit from the hitting though, so he stepped away from the punching bag. Roy was slightly out of breath as he walked over to the mats. Normally he only practiced acrobatics with Dick around, but his young friend was off doing who knew what. Probably helping to get ready for the party in some way. Roy put his arms up and threw himself into a handstand. He helped himself up, keeping his back and legs aligned. He couldn't point his feet up as straight as Dick could, but he gave it a valiant effort. He dropped his legs down so his back was arched and his feet were flat on the floor. He pulled his feet back up and put them back down in front of himself. He pushed himself into a standing position. He did a handspring and landed easily on his feet. The next couple of hours were spent flipping, somersaulting, and other various acrobatic moves. He kept his mind focused on what every muscle and body part was supposed to be doing. In smoothly transitioning from one to the next. He was so engrossed that he didn't notice Alfred come in.

"Very good Master Roy." Roy fell out his handstand in surprise. "You are making excellent progress."

"Thanks, Alfred."

"I would suggest you get cleaned up…again. You and Master Dick should eat, then you must retire downstairs."

"Yes, Alfred." Another quick shower and a fresh change of clothes later, Roy was eating lunch in the dining room with Dick.

"What were you doing?" Dick asked Roy.

"Working out in the gym. What were you doing?"

Dick made a face. "Listening to Bruce practice his speech."

"His speech?"

"Yeah, the speech where he thanks everyone for coming and talks about what the charity does that's getting the money and how great it is that so many people showed up and gave money."

"Does he do this every year?"

"Yeah. This year the money is going to organizations that help kids from abusive homes."

Roy froze. "Really?"

"Yup."

Huh. Well then. Roy finished eating quickly and went upstairs. He grabbed a book, then joined Dick in the study. Bruce was there as well, looking over some papers. He looked up when Roy came in. "Ready?" he asked.

Roy nodded. "Yes."

"The night will go by before you know it," Dick assured Roy as Bruce moved the hands on the grandfather clock. They followed him downstairs to the cave. "You'll be safe down here."

"Right," Roy whispered.

Once they got down there, Bruce went over to the Bat-computer and quickly made sure Roy couldn't get into the files. Not that he really expected Roy to go snooping around through the Bat-computer, but he still didn't want to take the chance. He brought various feeds from cameras placed around the house. "OK Roy, you can watch everything here. We're securing the entrance just in case, but no one has any knowledge that this exists and everyone should be staying out of my study anyways."

"Ok…"

Bruce could tell this wasn't reassuring to Roy. "No one will find you down here, Roy. Oliver won't find you. I promise, you'll be perfectly safe."

"O-Ok."

Bruce nodded. "Alright. Just…try to stay calm, ok? The night will be over before you know it."

"Ok…"

"Good luck," Dick said quietly, giving Roy's hand a squeeze.

Roy sat down and watched Dick and Bruce go back upstairs. He sighed and looked at the monitors. Alfred was directing the caterers on where to put the food. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."

— —

The book helped a little. It gave him something to focus on. As it got later though, Roy found it harder and harder to focus on the book. At one point he found himself re-reading the same page four times. He sighed and slammed the book shut. This was just getting tedious. The time read '7:00'. People would be arriving any minute now. The entrance opened and Roy turned around.

"Nice outfit," he told Dick.

"Shush," Dick said with a frown. "I hate wearing my suit."

"You look ridiculous."

"Good, because I feel ridiculous." Dick set a plate of food down. "Stole this from the caterers."

"Thanks."

"Wish I could stay down here with you."

Roy did too. "I'm sure the party will be fun."

"Highly doubtful. They're always boring. Pretty much everyone coming is an adult."

"No other kids?"

"Depends on the function. With this party, it's hit or miss."

"Do you know if any are coming tonight?"

"No clue. Maybe the Drakes will bring their son. He's really young, but he's cool. Really smart too." He sighed dramatically. "I'd better get upstairs before Bruce notices I'm gone."

"He's probably already noticed."

"You're probably right. I'll be back down here as soon as the party is over. Promise."

"OK." Dick went back upstairs and Roy turned to his plate of food. He picked at it a little bit, but his stomach felt like it couldn't handle any food at the moment. He forced himself to eat a couple of small bites, but nothing more. It wasn't long after that until guests started arriving. Roy managed to calm down a little bit as he watched the men and women dressed in the fanciest clothes he'd ever seen. He couldn't hear what anyone was saying though, so he could only watch them talk and drink. His eyes strayed back to the camera in the foyer and his chest constricted. His heart started thumping and paralyzing fear started creeping through his brain. Oliver had just arrived.

— —

Upstairs, Dick was working his way through the room with ease. As much as he hated these parties, and he really did hate them with a burning passion, he was always a hit at these events. The ladies loved to gush over him, telling him cute he was and pinch his cheeks. Even though deep inside he wanted to smack their ridiculously jeweled hands away, he smiled and told them all how pretty they were in their dresses. (Some who he knew were of the even wealthier variety got a 'You're the prettiest woman in here' for good measure.) The men were a different matter. They were usually polite, not nearly as adoring as their wives and girlfriends. They'd ask Dick about school and his grades. Sometimes the nicer, older men would tell him he looked very handsome in his suit. Dick responded with polite questions about their health and children, many of whom he went to school with. (Those who he knew were more affluent all got a compliment on their businesses and charity donations.) He was just talking to a woman who might've been flirting with Bruce at the last party, when he caught sight of Oliver. A dark look flashed his face, but he quickly banished it.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Dick said, stepping away. He let himself blend into the crowd for once happy about his small size.

"Master Dick," Alfred said, setting a hand on his shudder gently, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "I do believe you were instructed to stay away from Mr. Queen."

"I wasn't going to go near him."

"Of course not."

"Besides, aren't we supposed to keep an eye on him?"

"Which you can do from across a room."

"I can't, I'm short."

"Stay away from Mr. Queen, Master Dick."

Dick huffed. "Fine." He watched as Bruce approached Oliver. "Bruce has it handled anyway. For now."

"Indeed." Alfred glanced off to the side where a small group of reporters, the 5 who had been grant permission to cover the event, were standing. One, in particular, a man with black hair and glasses. "Let's just hope Master Bruce remembers he can't punch Mr. Queen here."

Over on the other side of the room, Bruce was using every single ounce of self-control he had not to break Oliver's hand. "How've you been Oliver?" he asked casually.

"I've had better times," Oliver responded. "One day at a time."

"I don't think I ever told you, but I'm sorry about Roy."

"Thank you."

"Do the police have any leads?"

Oliver sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Commissioner Lance has been dodging my calls lately."

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Sure. Oh god." Bruce didn't have time to ask before Lex Luthor appeared at his side.

"Evening Oliver, Bruce," Luthor said before taking a sip of his champagne.

"So glad you could make it," Bruce said politely, not really meaning it.

"Lex," Oliver said with a nod.

'Of course, the two of them are on a first name basis,' Bruce thought, taking a sip of his own drink. Standing there with the two villains made him extremely exhausted. No one else, except maybe Clark, understood how tiring it was to control yourself around people who you knew deserved to be punched.

"Quite the party Bruce," Luthor said. "Where is the money going again?"

"The Wayne Foundation will be distributing it among three different organizations that help kids from abusive homes." He definitely didn't miss the muscle that twitched in Oliver's jaw.

"How noble." Luthor glanced around, then lowered his voice. "Speaking of which, have I told you two what happened when I was attacked by Green Arrow?"

"If I wanted to gossip, Lex, I'd with the women," Oliver complained.

"This is hardly gossip Oliver. Gossip implies everyone else knows and trust me, no one else would know this."

"Dazzle us then."

Luther smirked. "You've heard the rumors about Green Arrow's little sidekick going missing, right? Oliver, you must've heard."

"I've heard rumors yes."

"What about it?" Bruce asked carefully.

"When I was attacked by Green Arrow, Superman came and got rid of him. Afterward, he told me that the reason Green Arrow's sidekick was gone was that the Justice League had taken him."

'Clark better be ready to search for kryptonite on the Watchtower for hours,' Bruce thought irritably.

"Is that so?" Oliver asked.

"Straight from the boy scout himself," Luthor confirmed. "What's more, the reason the League took him? Apparently, Green Arrow was abusing the boy."

Bruce got some satisfaction to how stiff and uncomfortable Oliver suddenly got. "I'm glad they intervened then," he said, taking another sip of his drink.

"Did he tell you where the Justice League is keeping the boy?" Oliver asked.

"No, but I really don't care. Honestly, I hate that murderous archer. If he drops dead tomorrow I wouldn't care."

"That makes two of us," Bruce agreed. God the situation was so bizarre he was agreeing with Lex Luthor.

"The Justice League took a boy who's under-aged, that's kidnapping," Oliver said. "That's a crime. Don't you think that would make the Justice League hypocrites?"

"I suppose," Luthor said.

"Hypocrites or not, no child should be abused by a trusted adult," Bruce argued, trying very hard not to Bat glare. "The League did the right thing."

"I think it should be up to the adult in question to decide what's best for the child," Oliver responded.

"Are condoning child abuse, Oliver? The senseless beating of a helpless child by a full grown adult?"

"I'm not condoning anything Wayne. Don't put words in my mouth."

"Really? It sure sounded like that to me."

"What about you? Are you condoning kidnapping?"

"If Speedy was being abused, I'd be more apt to call it a rescue."

"Kidnapping is kidnapping."

"And abuse is abuse."

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Clark Kent said. "I'm so sorry for interrupting, but I was wondering if I could I talk to you, Mr. Wayne?"

"Of course Mr. Kent. Luthor, Oliver, excuse me." Bruce stepped away and followed Clark away from the other two men. "What do you want Kent?"

"Excuse me for saving your skin."

"I don't need you to save me," Bruce hissed angrily.

"Oh yeah?" The stopped on the far side of the room and Clark took out his pen and notebook so he could pretend to take notes. "I heard your conversation, Bruce."

"Congratulations, you have super hearing."

"I could hear your heart rate too. You were going to end up punching Oliver."

"I was not."

"We both know you were."

"He deserves it."

"I'm not saying he doesn't."

"For the record, this wouldn't have come up if you hadn't told Lex Luthor," he emphasized the name, "about what was going on."

"I told him about how much of a bastard Green Arrow is, sue me."

"Don't tempt me."

"Just keep your cool."

"Don't lecture me."

Clark smiled. "At some point, I still need that interview."

"You know me, just make something up. Or go interview Dick, he'd love it."

"I'm sure he would."

Bruce left Clark so he could continue to mingle and chat up people most likely to give charitably. He positioned himself so he could watch Oliver. It was smart to keep his distance so he didn't punch the man, but they needed to watch Oliver for any suspicious activity. 'Maybe he'll give me a reason to throw him out.'

— —

The hours seemed to drag to the point that they feel like days. Roy managed to keep himself from freaking out, but it was kind of close at times. 'In…Out…In…Out…' he cadenced in his head, forcing his breathing to follow the steady rhythm. He watched the cameras the whole time, never taking his eyes off Oliver's location. It was strange in a way he couldn't describe. This was his first time seeing his guardian in about four months. Honestly, he hadn't really changed that much. Physically at least. He was smiling as he talked to women and clearly attempted to charm them, but that smile just made Roy uneasy.

'He's clearly not losing sleep over you being gone,' a voice in his head whispered.

"That's because he doesn't care about me," Roy reminded himself.

Everyone once in a while Dick would get close to Oliver, making Roy nervous, but he never came into direct contact with Oliver, so it was ok. For the most part, Oliver seemed to stay in the ballroom and foyer. However, towards the end of the night, Roy was watching Dick when his gaze ventured back to where he'd last seen Oliver. Except Oliver was now gone. Panic gripped Roy's mind as he searched the different cameras to find him. When he did though it didn't make him feel any better. Oliver was in Bruce's study. Roy's breathing started getting shallower and quicker. 'How did he get in there?! Didn't-Didn't Bruce lock that door?!' Roy backed away from the Bat-computer it like was going to hurt him, but his eyes never left the screen. 'He's going to find me! He's going to find me! He's going to find me!'

Oliver looked around the space, moving carefully and deliberately. "He knows I'm here! He knows I'm here! He knows I'm here!" Roy started shaking to the point that he couldn't stop. Oliver suddenly looked around and his gaze landed right on the camera. Looking into his eyes Roy was suddenly overcome with helplessness and fear. "Ah!" he screamed, scrambling away. He crawled backward, still watching the screen intently. "He's going find me… He's going to find me…" Roy was in such a blind panic that he didn't notice Oliver had moved away from the camera. His chest was constricting and his mind had gone on a loop of pure panic. "I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back." He curled up into a ball on the floor. "I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back-"

Upstairs in the study, Oliver froze when a tiny voice behind him said, "You're not supposed to be in here." He turned around to find Wayne's ward standing in the doorway. "No one is allowed to be in here."

"I was just getting some air."

"Inside?"

"Away from people."

"Then go outside."

Oliver frowned. "You should show your elders some respect."

Dick bit back an 'only if they deserve my respect'. He huffed. "You're the one who's trespassing."

"I was invited here."

"Not into this room."

"Listen here, kid-"

"Bruce!" Dick called, never taking his eyes off Oliver.

"Fine, you little-"

"If I were you I wouldn't finish that sentence," Bruce warned him, suddenly appearing behind the kid. The kid smirked at him. "This room is off limits, Queen."

"I was just stepping away from the party for a minute."

"And breaking into my personal study?"

"Trespassing," Dick nodded.

"Shut up you little-" Oliver hissed, but Bruce intervened.

"You can't talk to him like that," Bruce said darkly. He kept a firm grip on Dick's shoulder, ready to move him away from Oliver if necessary. "I think you should leave." He stared Oliver in the eye, as if daring the other man to challenge him.

"Fine."

"Dick, go re-join the party while I show Mr. Queen out."

Dick nodded and left, but not before giving Oliver a dirty look. He slipped away before Oliver could react though, and Bruce had his hand gripping Oliver's arm, so he couldn't follow the self-righteous 10-year-old. "There's no need to escort me."

"I think it'd be for the best." Thankfully most people were in the ballroom waiting for Bruce to give his speech, so the foyer was mostly empty. He opened the front door, happy to have a reason to throw Oliver out. "It's one thing to send the police to my home, it's another to go snooping through my stuff."

"I know you're involved," Oliver growled. "You know where Roy is."

"I'd be careful before you start accusing me of kidnapping Queen. I can and will ruin you."

"You don't scare me, Wayne. You have something to do with Roy going missing."

"You're crazy."

"Besides me, you were the last person to see him. You know where he is."

"You're just grieving. We both know statistically what the chances are that the police won't find Roy alive."

"He's alive. I know he is and you have something to do with it."

"Can you prove it?"

"No."

"Then you have nothing. We both know what a bastard you are Queen. Stop pursuing your conspiracy theories and leave me alone."

Oliver jerked out of his grip. "I'm watching you, Wayne." He stomped off and Bruce had to take great care not to slam the door. It took a couple of deep breaths to keep himself calm before he gave his speech. Luckily he needed to take a quick detour to lock the study door again. As he walked into the ballroom to give his speech he tried not think about how terrified Roy must've been. Unfortunately, they couldn't go check on Roy without arousing suspicion. So he read his speech, thanking people for coming and giving money, doing his best not to wonder if Roy was having a panic attack or a flashback. That got significantly harder when he talked about the need for support for children who'd been abused and talked about the kind of challenges that those children can face. It made him feel like a hypocrite.

The party seemed to drag after that. Every minute that passed felt like 10. Bruce had Clark keeping an eye out to make sure Oliver didn't try to sneak back in (if the Boy Scout was going to be here he was going to be he was going to be useful) and Dick thankfully wasn't trying to sneak off. When the guests finally started to leave he didn't miss Dick trying to sneak off down the hall. He caught the boy's eye and gave him a nod. It was late enough he could tell people that Dick had gone to bed, and most people were gone always. He spent the next hour saying goodbye to his guests, thanking them graciously for their donations.

"I can oversee the cleanup sir," Alfred said.

"Thank you, Alfred, I'll be in my study."

"Of course sir."

Bruce made a beeline for his study. He stopped just looking enough to put the checks he collected in the safe before he went downstairs. Bruce wasn't really sure what he expected to see, but it wasn't Dick kneeling on the ground next to Roy, who was curled up on the ground in a ball.

"He won't stop shaking," Dick said as Bruce joined them. Roy was shaking like he was freezing, but his skin felt only slightly cold when Bruce touched it.

"Roy," he said. "Roy it's ok." Roy didn't say anything. He didn't even acknowledge them.

"Come on Roy." Dick shook Roy's shoulder gently. "It's ok, Oliver is gone."

Bruce caught a smear of red on Roy's wrist. He reached out gently and pulled Roy's towards himself. The fact that Roy was completely limp and didn't fight was extremely concerning. "Oh, Roy…" Roy's hand and forearm were covered in bite marks. Some of them had broken the skin.

"Bruce. Look." With Roy's arm moved Dick could see his face. It was covered in scratches. Most of them were bleeding, covering his face in blood. Roy's eyes were wide and unfocused.

"Roy," Bruce said as he and Dick pulled him into a sitting position. He moved in front the teen as Dick kept him upright. "Roy are you ok?"

"Come on Roy, say something."

Bruce put his hand on Roy's shoulder, half-hoping he'd pull away. "Come on Roy. Oliver is gone. It's ok." Roy still didn't say anything. "Dick go get something to clean his blood with." Dick nodded and ran towards the Bat cave's infirmary. While he was gone Bruce shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Roy. He was still shaking, and deep down Bruce knew he wasn't cold, but he didn't know what else to do. "Roy, Oliver doesn't know you're here. He didn't find you and he's gone now."

Dick returned and Bruce took a swab from him. He gently started wiping the blood from Roy's arm and Dick wiped his face. Luckily the bite marks weren't that bad, even the ones that had broken the skin. "It's ok Roy," Dick said to his unresponsive friend. "It's ok now." He finished Roy's face and grabbed a new swab so he could do the other arm. Once it was clean he gently put the arm around his shoulders and leaned into Roy's side. "It's ok Roy. You're safe."

Roy finally reacted, swallowing. "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Bruce said, still very concerned. Roy's gaze was still slightly unfocused and the shaking hadn't stopped. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"He-he was here…. He was here and I just…." Roy couldn't even explain his own behavior.

"You don't have to explain yourself." If Roy had been like that since Oliver broke into the study…. Bruce felt like a terrible person. He could hear soft footstep coming down the stairs to the bat cave. He stood up to see Clark giving him a worried look. "What'd you want?" he asked as he approached.

"I just wanted to see if Roy was ok," Clark said. He cast a look over at the red-haired teen. "Clearly he's not."

"Oliver broke into my study. Roy must've thought he'd be discovered."

"So that's why you threw him out."

"I shouldn't have brought Oliver here."

"You did what you had to."

"Explain that to Roy. He scratched up his own face and bit himself."

"You're doing a good job, Bruce."

"Go home, Clark."

Clark nodded. "Alfred told me to tell you it's safe for Roy to come up."

"Good, he needs to get some sleep." Although Bruce doubted Roy would actually sleep. Clark went back upstairs while Bruce watched Dick help Roy stand. He was impressed that despite the fact that Dick was half Roy's size he supported the teenager admirably.

"You're safe Roy," Dick said gently. "Oliver didn't find you. You're safe." Luckily it looked like Roy's shaking had just about stopped.

Bruce followed the two of them up the stairs into the manor. "Are you all set taking him upstairs?"

"I got this."

"Ok. go slow."

Dick nodded and guided Roy to the stairs, still talking gently. Alfred passed them on his way into the study, giving Roy a worried look. "So Master Roy didn't fare so well?" he asked as Bruce rubbed his face.

"Oliver broke into the study, so no."

"It was a difficult situation."

"We have to do something Alfred."

"Sir?"

"He's still so… We need to do something more to help."

"What would you suggest sir?"

Bruce considered it. "You know my idea. I think it's time to discuss it with Roy."

"I support this sir, but only if you're certain it will help."

"It will. The League won't like it, but we don't have many options."

"Then it appears we must act. Shouldn't you at least warn Master Dick?"

"No, I don't want him to know until I know what Roy wants to do. I don't want Dick influencing him either way."

"A wise decision sir."

"I'll talk with Roy tomorrow. We'll see what he says."

Meanwhile, Dick returned to Roy's room after getting his PJs on. Having already been in sweats, Roy didn't really need to change. Which was good because his brain still wasn't working at full capacity. "Come on Roy, you need to sleep," Dick said. He turned off the light and pulled the blankets over the two of them. He snuggled up next to Roy. "You ok?"

Roy took a breath. "I don't know…"

"That's ok."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, Dick. I can't control my own behavior or reactions. It's not ok."

"You'll get better."

"What if I don't? What if I'm just this…helpless and scared forever?"

"Bruce, Alfred, and I will still be here for you if you are." Roy didn't say anything. "Try to sleep. You really need it." Dick was tired himself, but he stayed awake to wait for Roy's breathing to eventually even out. He smiled to himself as rested his head against Roy's shoulder. "It's ok Roy," he whispered. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I'm here. I'll protect you. I promise."


	36. Bruce's Offer

A/N: Well I've been studying for 5 hours the past two days! (That's 5 hours each day). I swear, if I didn't have stories to work on to de-stress I'd go insane. That being said, the chapter is on time, so enjoy!

Unfortunately, Roy had another nightmare that night. He was in an alley in his old Speedy suit. "Hello?" he asked cautiously, calling out down the darkened alley. There were no sounds anywhere, which was weird. Roy stepped out into the street and gasped. He was in Star. "How- How-" His voice got caught in his throat when he saw the bodies. There were dozens of people scattered all over the street. "No…" His eyes found the red arrows sticking out of the victim's chests. "No… No…" A shiver crept up the back of his neck and Roy spun around, automatically drawing an arrow from his quiver. "S-Superman?" The Man of Steel was floating just above the ground, arms cross over the 'S' on his chest. He glared down at the young archer, shadows hiding a lot of his face.

"Speedy," Superman said coldly. "You're under arrest for murder."

"M-Murder? I didn't-" Roy backed up slowly, trying to figure out what is going on.

"Don't lie to us kid," said a voice from behind. Roy turned his head. The Flash was standing only a few feet away.

"No wonder Green Arrow slaps you around," said Green Lantern, floating down towards them.

"Please… I-I didn't…. I didn't want to kill anyone…"

"Then why did work with him?" Wonder Woman asked, coming out of the shadows, her lasso casting an eerie glow over her face. "Why did you look up to him if you didn't approve of his methods?"

"I didn't know!" Roy insisted as he backed away from the heroes. "I didn't know he killed people!"

"Liar," Superman snarled.

"I really didn't know!"

"Yet you didn't try to stop him," Flash reminded him as they pushed forward, moving Speedy back more. The league had surrounded him on all sides, except for his back, which was covered by the alley.

"I didn't- I tried!"

"Clearly you didn't try hard enough. Unless you liked that he killed people," Aquaman said, emerging out go the shadows.

"No, I didn't! I swear I didn't!"

"Murderer," Superman hissed.

"No…"

"Killer," Wonder Woman said, grabbing her lasso.

"No! No, I'm not a killer!" Despite the fact that he knew it was a bad idea, Roy turned and ran away; darting between Flash and Green Lantern. Deep down he knew it wasn't an effective tactic, they were the Justice League after all, but he didn't care. He had to get away from them. The dark streets were a blur as he ran for anywhere that wasn't the street he'd just been on. When he finally stopped he discovered he'd somehow outrun the League. Roy turned around, only to freeze. "Oh god…" There was a man propped up against the wall of a building with a red arrow sticking out of his neck. It wasn't just any man though…it was the one he'd killed when he left Star. The sight of the blood pooling down his neck and chest caused nausea to build up in Roy's stomach. "Oh god…" Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and threw him backward. His head smacked off the building and stars appeared in his vision. He blinked them away to see Batman standing over him. The Dark Knight blended in with the darkness behind him, giving the impression that he was part of the night. His intense gaze seemed to be glowing as he glared at the teen. Roy gulped and tried to push himself against the wall, but it was unyielding; keeping him close to the vigilante. "Batman…" he squeaked.

"Speedy," Batman growled. "You killed this man."

"I…I….I didn't want-" Speedy was cut off when Batman backhanded him. Roy hit the ground with a thud! He tried to sit up, but Batman kicked him in the chest. First, he hit the wall, then he hit the ground again. Batman slammed Roy into the ground by stomping on his back, apparently oblivious to the cries of pain. "Batman please…"

"You're a murderer."

"I know I am."

"You let Green Arrow kill those people."

"I did."

"You killed this man."

Speedy swallowed. "I did…"

"You're a murderer. You're just like Green Arrow. You have no shred of goodness in you and you have no value for human life."

Speedy didn't really have an argument against that. "I'm sorry." Batman didn't say anything. He simply moved his foot and picked Speedy up by his neck. He slammed the teen into the wall again, keeping him pinned there.

"You're a killer Speedy. You're no better than a common criminal." Speedy tried to squirm away, but it was useless.

"'Please…"

"Do you think I should let you go after you killed all those people?"

"…..no." Batman threw him on the ground again, but Speedy didn't try to get up. He didn't even fight back when Batman was suddenly on top of him, hands wrapped around his throat. Far too quickly his lungs started to burn.

"I'm going to lock you up and throw away the key," Batman hissed in his ear. "In Arkham with the rest of the mass murdering lunatics. It's what you deserve." Somehow Speedy managed a whimper and involuntarily jerked his body. In a moment of pure confusion, he fell off something and hit the ground. He started coughing and choking while he tried to breathe. Light suddenly flooded the area and hurried footsteps came towards him.

"Roy," Dick said gently. "Roy, it's ok. It was just a dream." Roy didn't answer. Instead, he just kept choking and coughing. Dick put his hand on Roy's back. "Roy breathe. In… Out… In… Out…" His breathing was shallow and fast at first, but he kept breathing with Dick's voice. Eventually, he was able to breathe normally. Roy collapsed against the bed, resting his head on the mattress. "Are you ok?"

Roy swallowed. He gently rubbed his neck, just to make sure there were no hands wrapped around it. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. "What time is it?" he croaked.

Dick looked at the clock. "3:38."

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's ok. You can't control your nightmares." Roy didn't say anything. "Do you want to talk about it?" Roy shook his head. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" Another head shake. "Ok." Dick sat next to him on the floor. "Are you ok?"

"…..I don't know." The truth of that astounded him.

"That's ok. You'll be ok someday." Roy didn't say anything. "It's like learning the trapeze routines. At first, you mess up a lot and you don't know what you're doing. So you keep practicing and practicing, but you don't really know if you're doing a good job or not. One day though…one day you do the routine the whole way through without missing a single flip. That's when you know you're doing good. You just have to be patient and keep trying until you get there."

Roy looked at him with slight amusement. "I think this is a little different than the trapeze."

Dick shook his head. "I don't think so."

"You just think that because you're from the circus."

"Yup, that's true." Roy didn't smile. Not knowing what else to do, Dick just started taking, telling Roy stories from his life in the circus. He talked for close to an hour and a half while Roy slowly relaxed. Around 5 am he noticed the teen's head starting to lull. "Tired?"

"Hm…"

"Come on." Dick helped Roy stand and his friend practically collapsed onto the bed. He shut the light off and joined Roy under the blankets.

"Dick?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Dick smiled as he snuggled up next to him. "I should thank you."

"…Why?"

"Usually its harder to talk about the circus, but its easier now. Maybe its because you're so nice."

Roy doubted that, but didn't want to burst Dick's bubble. "Night Dick."

Dick yawned as he titled his head against Roy's shoulder. "It's morning…."

"You know what I mean."

Dick smirked a little bit. "Mhm."

— —

Later that day, Dick took Roy into the gym. "You want to spar?" he asked.

"Um…" Roy crossed his arms nervously. "I don't know…"

"Come on. We can go slow."

"I just…I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. I take down villains like the Joker and Scarecrow. Trust me, I'll be fine."

"I don't know…"

"Roy, I wouldn't offer if I thought you'd seriously hurt me."

"….ok…"

The two of them walked over to the mats, but were interrupted when Alfred came in. "Excuse me sirs, but Master Bruce wishes to speak to Master Roy," he said.

"You got lucky," Dick said.

"Uh huh," Roy nodded. He followed Alfred out of the gym. "What-what does Bruce want?"

"That is for him to discuss Master Roy. However, I shall assure you that you are not in trouble."

"Ok." Although it didn't help when they walked into the study and Bruce wasn't there. 'Why are we going down to the Bat cave?' Roy wondered as he followed Alfred. He couldn't stop the part of his brain that was compelled to point out how secluded this was; however, another part argued that so far, when Bruce had wanted to talk to him it had only been talking. He swallowed and started clenching and unclenching his fists. Bruce was sitting at the Bat-computer when they came down. He turned around, Roy assumed he'd heard them, and Roy automatically tried to find anger or tension in Bruce's face. There was none though.

"Can you leave us alone Alfred?" Bruce asked. Roy got nervous, but tried not to show it.

"Of course sir," Alfred said. He left the two of them alone in a tense silence.

"I heard you yelling this morning. Did you have a nightmare again?"

"Yes," Roy nodded.

"Do…Do you want to talk about it?"

"Um…Can-can I…not?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks. What-what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I have…There's something I want to discuss with you." Bruce considered how to say this, since he didn't want to scare Roy. "I've been thinking a lot about how to help you overcome…Oliver. I think that part of what might be hard is because of what happened as Speedy."

Roy's heart started pounding. "oh?"

Bruce sighed. His skills when talking to Roy weren't getting better obviously. Better to just do what he did best; be blunt. "Roy, do you want to take up being a vigilante here in Gotham?"

Roy blinked. "What?"

"If you want to, and only if you want to, I'll train you to fight crime with Dick and I."

"Why?"

"I think it could help you." Bruce studied Roy's face. He looked….scared? 'Oh no that's not what I wanted.' Not good. "Roy, this is only if you want to. If you don't I would understand. I won't be mad at you."

"I-I…." Roy put his head down and wrapped one of his arms around his body.

"I'm serious. You don't have to answer me right now."

"It's just…"

"Roy, it's ok. I'm only offering this because I know you don't kill criminals. You see the value in taking them alive." Roy started shaking. 'Oh shit. What am I doing wrong?!'

"You don't….you don't understand…"

Bruce furrowed his brow. "What?"

Roy swallowed. "I… I…."

"Roy you can tell me. It's ok."

"No…. I…. No…."

"Why not? Roy I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I swear I would never hit you." Roy suddenly fell to his knees and started crying. 'Shit, shit, shit!' Bruce knelt down beside him and hesitated. When Dick was upset he usually needed a hug, but Roy didn't like it when Bruce touched him. "Um…." Bruce set his hand gently on the teen's back and Roy jumped, scrambling away. "Roy I'm not going to hurt you."

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't. Roy, I will never hit you."

"Yes, you will!" Roy sobbed, curling up into a ball. "I did a bad thing!"

"What did you do? Whatever it is I won't hit you."

"I killed someone!"

Bruce blinked. "What?"

Roy whimpered, getting tense. Finally, finally, he'd done something to warrant getting hit. This had to be it. "My last night in Star… I-I killed someone. I shot him in the neck."

Dread suddenly pulled Bruce's chest tight. Oh. That. He swallowed and reached out, but pulled back when Roy flinched violently. "Roy…you didn't kill that man."

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't. Oliver made you."

"It was my arrow! My bow! My hand on the string!"

Bruce sighed. An idea popped into his head and he, uncharacteristically, acted without thinking. He was just desperate to get Roy calmed down and explain to him that he wasn't a murderer. While he searched for the surveillance video of Roy's last night in Star guilt was trying to take over his brain. 'I've been calling Oliver a murderer and saying that he's a terrible person because of it. Meanwhile, Roy thought he was also a murderer.' Bruce shook his head in disgust at himself. 'I'm not qualified to be taking care of him.' He found the video and look at Roy. "Roy come here." The teen stood up and walked over to him on shaking legs, still crying. Bruce gently guided him to sit down. "Watch this." Roy lifted his head. On the screen was a grainy video, but he still knew what it was right away. The angle of the camera very clearly showed his arrow hitting the guy in the neck. He whimpered.

'Is this my punishment? Watching me kill him?' Maybe Oliver had been on to something about Bruce being brutal.

Bruce looked at Roy, but Roy would only look down. "Roy you didn't kill him."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't. Look." Bruce used a special software on the Bat-computer to enhance the video. It focused only on the two archers. He played it again. "See? Oliver forced your hands off." Bruce knelt down in front of Roy and turned the chair so they were face to face. "Roy you didn't kill anyone."

"I killed that guy."

"Even if Oliver hadn't forced your fingers off the string, which he did, you are in no way responsible for what happened when you were Speedy."

"I let him kill all those people though! I made it so they couldn't run! I tied them up so they'd be sitting there defenseless! I'm a killer!"

"No Roy, you aren't. Oliver was manipulating and abusing you. He was making you do it."

"No, he didn't! I wanted to be a vigilante!"

"Did you know he killed people when you agreed to be a vigilante?"

"No."

"Did Oliver start abusing you before you started going on patrol with him?"

"Yes."

"Roy, he tricked you. He manipulated you and abused you so that you would do what he wanted. You were a child, Roy. You still are. You aren't responsible for what happened."

"I still helped."

"You did what you were forced to do."

Roy hiccuped. "I'm still a bad person."

"Why do you think that?" Roy whimpered. 'At least he's stopped crying. Hopefully, that means something good.' Bruce sighed quietly. "Roy I'm not going to hurt you."

"Sometimes…" Roy swallowed. "Sometimes I'd hope we'd have a good patrol because Oliver would be in a good mood afterward."

'Ok Wayne, tread lightly.' Bruce swallowed. "That doesn't make you a bad person."

"I wanted him to kill people-"

"No, you didn't. You wanted to feel safe, which is perfectly normal. You were scared of your guardian, for good reason, and you just wanted to feel safe. Oliver was intimidating and abusing you, Roy. You weren't responsible for what happened."

Roy finally looked at Bruce, the first time in the last ten minutes, and Bruce was briefly taken aback by the confusion and pain in the teen's eyes. "Why?" he asked shakily.

"What what?"

"Why are you still being nice to me?"

Initially, that should've made Bruce angry, but it just made him sad. "Why wouldn't you expect me to?"

"Oliver stopped being nice after two weeks. I think he was just nice at first so I wouldn't try to run away."

"I'm not like Oliver, Roy. I won't hit you for anything."

"I'm a killer though."

"No, you're not. You're not a killer." Bruce had an idea; a possible way to make Roy see sense. "Roy, when I first saw you on the streets as Speedy, I thought you were a killer too. I saw you and all I could think was how horrible it was that you'd been brainwashed by Oliver and that the League now had to deal with another murderous archer." He put his hand on Roy's knee. "Then you did something impossible. You both surprised me and proved me wrong."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. You looked away. When Oliver killed someone, I saw you turn your head and I knew that you weren't like him. You weren't ok with what Oliver was doing. Deep down you knew it was wrong."

Roy swallowed. "Ollie- He told me that criminals didn't deserve my mercy."

"He was wrong to tell you that. No one desires to die for vandalism or breaking into a car."

"What if they're a murderer?"

"Do you think they should die?"

Roy shook his head. "No. You're not mad I think that?"

"No Roy, of course not. What Dick and I do, it's not always easy. There are some terrible people out there, but we don't kill them. If we start killing we're no better than them."

"…..that makes sense."

"I know you believe that, which is why I'm offering you this. I can train you. I'll teach you how to catch criminals the right way. That way you know, looking back, that every time you resisted Oliver, that you were justified. And every time he hit you, he was the one who was wrong."

"It's my choice?"

"Yes, absolutely. We will only do this if you want to and you can quit at any time. If you decide you want to stop and just live your life, I won't get mad at that. You can stop. I will never force you into this life, Roy." Roy looked away. He mumbled something under his breath that Bruce couldn't quite make out. "What did you say?"

"I just wanted to help people."

It took Bruce a moment to realize what he was saying. "Is that why you became Speedy?"

Roy nodded. "Oliver said that-that I could honor Brave Bow, my dad, by using the skills he taught me to help people."

"You still can if you want to." He half expected Roy to curl up into a ball, as he did most of the time, but he didn't. He still wouldn't look at Bruce, but the lack of being in a ball made the man feel hopeful he might actually be getting somewhere. After a couple minutes of silence, Roy finally looked up at him.

"If I do this, do you think it will help?"

"I do. It helps Dick."

"Does it help you?"

'I was right about him being smart,' Bruce admitted silently. "In a way…" Roy glanced down again. "You don't have to answer me right now Roy. You can think about it."

"No." Roy seemed to sit up a straighter. "I don't need to think about it."

"You don't?"

"No." He sighed a little bit. "I want to do it."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"You're sure? This has to be your choice 100%."

"It is. I want to."

"Only if you're sure."

"I am." Roy leaned forward a little bit.

"It won't be easy. I'll actually have to train you. I won't just bring you out on the streets untrained like Oliver did."

Roy almost smiled and it caught Bruce off guard for a moment. "When do we begin?"


	37. Roy's Training Begins

There were very few things that could surprise Bruce. However, when faced with Roy hitting an apple from about 50 yards away, surprise was really the only option. Roy gave him a cautious look. "How was that?"

"That was…" Bruce really didn't have words. Luckily, that's why he had Dick.

"That was awesome!" the boy cheered.

"Thanks," Roy mumbled, glancing down.

"You said you can shoot fast?" Bruce asked him.

"Yes."

"Let's see it then."

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long do you want me to shoot for?"

"…2 minutes."

"Ok." Roy took a deep breath, then started shooting. He shot arrow after arrow, moving without really thinking. His fingers nimbly jumped from the fletchings on the arrows to the bow, and back again. He ended up stopping before the two minutes were up, but he'd emptied his quiver. Roy glanced at Dick, momentarily taken aback by the astonished look on the boy's face.

"That was amazing!" Dick cheered.

"Thanks." Roy looked at Bruce. "Was that ok?"

Bruce nodded. "Yes, that…that was fine." In reality, it was more than ok. Bruce had known Roy was a good archer, Oliver wouldn't have had it any other way, but not even he had thought that Roy could be this skilled. The teen's skill with a bow was far better than anything Bruce could've imagined. "You're fine."

"How'd you get so good?" Dick asked.

Roy shifted uneasily on his feet. "I….I practiced a lot." His voice got kind of quiet.

"Dick, why don't you go get us some water from Alfred?" Bruce suggested.

"Ok…" Dick said cautiously, looking in-between them.

"What did Oliver do?" Bruce asked while he helped Roy retrieve his arrows. It shouldn't have surprised him that the arrows were all clustered in the bullseye.

"Nothing."

"Roy, I'm not going to get mad at you. I just want to know."

Roy swallowed. "It was nothing, really. It was my fault-"

"You know that's not true."

"He was just training me."

Bruce frowned. "How exactly did Oliver train you?"

Roy fiddled with an arrow, casting his eyes downwards. "It was just a lot of archery. He'd have me shooting in the range for a long time. You know like…hours. If I missed a shot he'd hit me." His shoulders blades pulled back involuntarily. "He'd hit me with a metal rod…on the back. One time he made me shoot for almost three days without stopping."

"At all?"

"Yes. It was ok though. He made me a better archer. I'm really good."

"Roy that doesn't matter."

"Oliver was just trying to toughen me up."

"Roy. Roy look at me." Roy lifted his head. "What Oliver did was wrong. He shouldn't have hit you and treated you that way."

"He was making me a better archer."

"It doesn't matter. It was wrong."

"I am a good archer though."

Bruce hesitated. Normally, he'd let it go, but he didn't want this in Roy's head. There had to be a way to explain to Roy how wrong Oliver's methods were. "Roy, were you a good archer before Oliver met you?" He didn't expect the sadness and hesitation that crossed Roy's face.

"….kind of."

"Kind of? You have a quite a few first-place medals to just be kind of."

Roy suddenly became very interested in the fletching of an arrow he was holding. "I mean…maybe?" He swallowed. "Ollie told me that-that I was good, but that I wasn't you know….that good. I could be a lot better." That legitimately didn't surprise Bruce. "Before that though…I used to think so."

"You did?"

"Yeah…" Roy frowned and shifted his feet a little bit. What did have to do with anything?

"You said that your adoptive father taught you archery, right?"

"Yes…"

"Did he train you the way Oliver did?"

Roy swallowed. "No! Brave Bow would never have laid a hand on me!"

"Ok, ok. Why would Brave Bow never teach you like that?"

"Because…It's not how you teach archery?"

"Is it?"

Roy sighed. "I guess not. But Oliver was teaching me a lot harder stuff and I had to be good to be his partner."

"That still doesn't make it right."

"Really?" Roy gave Bruce a hopeful look; like he wanted validation for his feelings against Oliver's treatment.

"Yes, Roy. I would never train you like that and Oliver shouldn't have."

"….ok."

'Progress,' Bruce thought as Dick rejoined them. 'Slow progress, but progress.' He let Roy drink and rest a minute while the teen reloaded his quiver. "Ok, let's see what else you can do."

— —

After archery and lunch, it was sparring in the gym. For the past few days, Bruce had been training Roy hard. Of course, it wasn't as bad as Oliver's training regime. Bruce never hit Roy when he made a mistake or made him practice for hours and hours without stopping, or even making him train on an empty stomach. It was different, but it was a good different. A different that Roy could feel himself getting used to, even if it was somewhat cautiously. Which was how he approached training with Bruce as a whole. Cautiously. Sparring was still a hard thing for him to get through. Every time Bruce swung at him he had to fight the urge to flinch.

'It's not Oliver. It's not Oliver. It's not Oliver. It's not Oliver,' he repeated in his head, again and again as he forced his muscles to keep fighting back. The fighting still started out slow as Bruce tested if Roy was holding up ok with this. Which Roy could easily tell and he was actually really appreciative of it. It calmed him a little bit to be able to go slower if he needed when it came to someone swinging punches at him. Not only that, but Bruce would also tell him when he was doing good, or at least correct him in a semi-positive way.

"Good hit, but if you pull your back more it'll have more power. "

"You can duck faster, I've seen it."

"Keep your arms close to your body to protect yourself."

Which was a lot different from Oliver, who had much preferred to yell at Roy, insult him, and then hit him. It was never like that with Bruce though, and Roy pushed himself to keep getting better to prove to Bruce that he deserved to be treated well. That he could be not only good, but the kind of good Bruce obviously wanted him to be; which resulted in him practicing for hours when he wasn't practicing his archery. Luckily, Alfred had cut back on Roy's school work to allow him more time for vigilante training. He improved a lot faster than he'd been expecting, but he still kept pushing himself. The better he was, the better Bruce would probably treat him.

Despite pushing himself so hard though, sleep was quickly becoming an impossible act. The nightmares refused to stop, waking him up screaming and shaking every night. So, trying to avoid the experience altogether, Roy decided to just not sleep that night. He said goodnight to Alfred, then shut himself in his room. First, he tried reading, but his brain kept wandering. It had only roughly been a week and a half of his training with Bruce, but his brain wanted to think about what would happen when he was out on the streets of Gotham. He closed the book and closed his eyes, trying to imagine what it would be like to be out there with Batman and Robin. Stopping criminals without the pressure to kill them. He saw himself shooting his arrow at the criminal, hitting him in the hand to disarm him. His fictional-self pulled another arrow as the wound bled. As his mind focused on the blood though, the criminal was replaced with another one. A dead one who had a red arrow sticking out of his neck-

Roy's eyes snapped open and he let out a soft gasp. He swallowed and drew his knees close to his chest. He took a deep breath. Bruce had said that he wasn't responsible for killing that man, but Roy didn't really believe that. He rested his forehead against his knees as he tried to force himself to calm down. "It's ok, it's ok," he reassured himself. "It's ok, Bruce doesn't hold it against me. It's ok." It really wasn't ok, but he needed to calm down somehow. When he finally did, the image from his mind still made him uneasy. His arrows were really sharp. They had to be, but wouldn't that just increase the chance of him killing someone? Roy bit his lip. "If I'm just stopping criminals and not killing them then why do I need arrows like that?" But what other kinds of arrows would he use? "If only I had an arrow that could just knock them out form a distance or-" He blinked.

"An arrow that can stop criminals from a distance," he repeated slowly. His mind started going through things that could stop people and he was suddenly propelled to his feet. "A non-lethal arrow that stops criminals from a distance." He sat down at his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was stupid, yeah, but he couldn't help but wonder…what if it's not? He almost smiled as he got to work. "A non-lethal arrow."

— —

The following morning Bruce was working in his study when Alfred came with a look Bruce easily recognized as 'something is wrong'.

"Have you seen Master Roy?" Alfred asked Bruce.

"….Should I have?" Bruce asked cautiously.

"Master Dick has been in the gym all day, and he claims not have seen Master Roy at all."

"He's probably in his room." Alfred gave Bruce a look. "And I will go check on him."

"A very good idea sir."

Bruce made his way up to Roy's bedroom, trying to remember if he'd said anything or if anything had happened to cause Roy to hide in his room. Nothing in particular came to mind. The past few days Roy had been ether outside practicing his archery, in the gym sparring with Dick. He was actually getting a lot better faster than Bruce thought he would and would soon be ready for the more specialized fighting Bruce had been developing for him. Still, typically when Roy made himself scarce it was after him having a bad reaction to something. Bruce knocked on the door. "Roy?" He opened the door to find the teen looking at himself in the mirror. He had lifted up his shirt and was examining himself. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Roy dropped his shirt. "I just….I'd forgotten what I looked like without bruises."

Bruce swallowed. "Ok."

"Did you need something?"

"No, I was just….checking on you. No one's seen you all day…"

"Oh. I was just…nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Roy's eyes glanced towards his desk, then back at Bruce. Bruce walked over to the desk. "Is this school work?" Alfred had said Roy was getting a lot better at school work and didn't need to work as much now.

"No…"

There were papers spread all over the desk. Bruce examined them and quickly discovered they weren't school work. At least…he didn't think they were. It was a drawing of an arrow. He examined it carefully, picking up the paper. It was definitely an arrow…just different. Small, scribbled notes were scrawled on all over, next to every part of the arrow. The arrowhead was different than one Bruce recognized. It was a cylinder. He looked at Roy, who was watching him carefully. "What is this?"

"I was just… It was…" Roy didn't know how to explain. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"It's stupid and it's wasting your time."

"It's not a waste of time. What is it?"

Roy crept closer, lowering his head. "I just…I was thinking that arrows are just….sharp."

"Sharp?"

"Yeah. They...you know….can only hurt people. It-It'd be easy to accidentally kill them if I were to miss…"

"True, but you wouldn't miss."

"Well no, but with regular arrows to stop people you have to hit them in the knee or hand. So I thought…maybe if I had an arrow that could stop someone without having to shoot their knee out…" He looked at Bruce with apprehension. "So that one," he pointed to the paper. "That one is a taser."

"Taser?"

"Yeah. Taser….arrow. It would hit someone and stun them."

Bruce looked back down at the paper in his hand. The cylinder on the end of the arrow was probably the taser. "How would it work?"

"Well…I was thinking that there's a button I push on the side right before I fire it. It would be a time delay."

"Could be cumbersome in a fast fight."

"True. Or it somehow just….activates itself when it hits the person." Roy glanced down again. "I know it's stupid."

"No, not at all. This is….creative." It was more than that actually, it was downright ingenious. Arrows that could stun criminals from long distances. While some criminals certainly deserved to have their knee taken out, Bruce completely understood why Roy might want to have an alternative to something that brutal.

"It was just an idea. I don't….I'm just stupid so I don't know who to actually make it work."

"Roy, I've told you before, you're not stupid. I also know Alfred has been telling you not to talk about yourself like that." Bruce looked at the paper again. "The design is simple enough."

"It is?"

"Yes. Your time delay idea is good, but perfect timing could be a bit of an issue. A sensitive trigger plate in the front of the arrow could work so that it activates upon impact."

"Really?"

"Possibly." He noticed that Roy was looking at him. The teen looked down quickly, obviously trying to hide the fact he'd just been watching Bruce. "This is an….it's not stupid."

Roy blinked and look at Bruce. He seemed genuine enough. 'So did Oliver though,' he reminded himself. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. 'How can I trust anyone? How will I know who's going to hurt me?!' Part of him still wasn't convinced Bruce wouldn't, but it was a much smaller part of his brain than it had been previously. The other, now much bigger part, had noticed that Bruce had yet to hit him for anything. When he'd been living with Oliver for almost 5 months he was getting hit on almost a daily basis. 'This isn't like with Oliver though.' Not yet at least. There was always the chance that he'd once again prove how incompetent he was when on patrol. The silence from Roy somehow unnerved Bruce.

"I'm not mad or anything Roy. Honest." Not that he expected Roy to believe him. "When did you think of this?"

"Last night…"

Bruce frowned, causing Roy to back up a step. "You weren't sleeping?" Now that he thought about it, it had been quiet last night. 'I thought maybe he'd finally had a good night's sleep.'

"N-No…. I'm sorry I just…"

"It's ok, you don't need to explain yourself." Having almost continual night terrors must've been horrible.

"I was just….I was thinking and I thought of that."

"It's a good idea. Is this the only design you came up with?"

"Um…no." Roy slipped past Bruce to his desk and rifled through the papers on it. "I have this one." He handed it to Bruce. "It's a glue arrow."

"Glue arrow?"

"Yeah, like you shoot it at their feet and they can't run away; or especially if it's someone really big and strong."

"Ok."

"This one is a flash grenades arrow. For you know….flash grenade purposes." He handed it to Bruce as well.

"You were busy last night."

"Is it bad?"

"No, not at all. These are very clever ideas that can be very useful."

"Really?"

"Of course. Come downstairs, I can use the Bat-computer to test some of your designs."

"Really?"

"Yes." He handed the papers back to Roy. "Coming?"

Roy swallowed, then nodded. "Yeah. I am." He followed Bruce downstairs to the Bat cave, feeling slightly unsure about what was going on. "Do you really think my designs will work?"

"I think it's possible. If they do we can start looking at the types of materials needed to build them."

"If I have these….trick arrows then I'd be really different from Oliver."

"That's true you would be."

"I'd have an arsenal all my own." Bruce didn't miss the small hint of pride in Roy's voice. It was slight, but it was enough to convince Bruce that he needed to make sure these designs worked. It would do a lot to help Roy's self-esteem and convince the teen he wasn't like Oliver. Roy stood just behind Bruce as he sat at the Bat-computer.

"Let's see how these designs of yours work out."

Roy spent the next few hours helping Bruce. They used a simulation on the computer to test the potential impact and inner workings of Roy's trick arrow designs. Problems like aerodynamics and weight were immediately brought up when the virtual arrows failed to hit their targets, but Roy quickly thought of ways to rectify those such as modifying the shape of the trick arrowheads and adding weight to the arrows to keep them balanced. Much to his surprise, the general designs of his arrows worked well. The flash grenade arrow was the easiest, but the glue arrow wasn't difficult either. The stun/taser arrow was a little more difficult, but Bruce's idea about the sensitive trigger plate seemed to be a good method.

"We won't know for sure until we build them and you actually test them out," Bruce said to Roy.

"We-we can build them?"

"Of course. Do you want to?"

Roy nodded almost eagerly. "Yes. I'd-I'd like that."

"Good. We can build the first one tomorrow if you want."

"Yes, please."

"Sounds good then. I'll have to make sure you have a modified quiver so that none of these go off while they're on your back."

"Yeah, that'd-that'd be bad."

"Have you thought of a way to mark them? So you know which arrow would be which?"

Roy considered it. "I was thinking of marking the fletchings. Like with…dot or something."

"That's not a bad idea."

"Thank you."

"We should go upstairs. I'm sure dinner is almost done and we don't want Alfred to get mad at us."

"We would never want to upset Alfred," Roy said as he followed Bruce upstairs to the study.

"Definitely not. He's the real boss around here."

"I've noticed."

Bruce smiled. 'Maybe we're finally getting somewhere with him,' he thought, almost optimistically. 'Hopefully, we're finally getting somewhere.'

— —

The next day Roy went through his normal routine (schoolwork, archery, and hand to hand combat) but with the added addition of Bruce helping him build the first prototype of his trick arrows. Roy didn't understand the all the ins and outs of mechanical engineering, but Bruce was explaining things in a way that he could understand. For his part, Bruce was pleasantly surprised by Roy's questions. They started out slow and cautious, like Roy thought his questions were annoying to Bruce. So Bruce answered patiently, explaining what they were doing while subtlety trying to encourage Roy to ask more questions. He was also surprised by how quickly Roy picked up on what they were doing. Of course, he never thought Roy was stupid, but after finding out how far behind Roy was on his education, Bruce hadn't really expected Roy to pick up on everything so easily.

"Good job," Bruce said as he guided Roy's hand to bring the wires together. "This will be the main electrical circuit. This is what we need to be activated when the arrow hits the culprit."

"Got it." Roy liked building the arrow. It was really interesting knowing how it all worked and it gave him a warm feeling inside at the prospect of having this advanced arrow that he'd built and designed himself.

"Roy, can I ask you something?" Bruce asked as casually as possible.

"Ok…?"

"How did you meet Oliver?"

Roy swallowed, hand starting to shake a little bit. "He was watching an archery tournament I competed in on the reservation."

"He did?" Bruce gently reached out and stabilized Roy's hand with his own.

"Yeah. He took me out for ice cream and we just….he was really nice, you know? Brave Bow was dying and I didn't really have anyone else."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Roy."

"He just….I was just lonely and he was there and paying attention to me. I just….I thought he cared."

Bruce swallowed. "Absolutely none of that is your fault, Roy."

"I was stupid enough to fall for it."

"No. You're not stupid. You had no reason to believe that Oliver was anyone but who he claimed to be. There's nothing you could've done."

Roy frowned. "I just…I just didn't want to be alone."

"I get that. Believe me, I do. So does Dick." Bruce let the conversation drop after that. They focused on the task of buying the arrowhead and figuring out a way to both put it on the arrow and modify the rest of the arrow itself. That part Roy was able to do on his own, no need to even weigh the arrow. Bruce was moderately impressed that Roy could just tell if an arrow was equally weighed just by holding it in his hand. It only served as a reminder that Roy was a much better archery than Bruce was, or could ever possibly be, and was probably one of the best in the world. Of course, that admiration was tinged by the anger of what Oliver had put Roy through to make him this good. The two of them worked until dinner, then after dinner started on the glue arrow. They were half-way done with that when Bruce had to get ready for patrol with Dick.

"How's the arrow coming?" Dick asked Roy, looking at the prototype curiously.

"It's good. Hopefully, it works."

"I bet it will! It'll be awesome!"

"Dick!" Bruce called. "Get ready for patrol!" Dick sighed dramatically and ran off to get changed into his Robin suit. Roy stood up and hung back curiously as they got ready. "Roy," Bruce said, gesturing for Roy to come closer. "You don't have to do it starting tonight, but I want you to start studying maps of Gotham. You need to be familiar with the area."

"Ok," Roy nodded.

"I'll quiz you!" Dick beamed.

"I also want you to look at some cases Dick and I have already closed so you have an idea what our process is. Got it?"

"Yes," Roy said.

"You also won't be surprised by Joker or Scarecrow," Dick added.

Yeah, after Dick's rough first meetings with the Arkham inmates, Bruce had decided it would be best to make sure Roy is familiar with them beforehand. Hopefully, this would make Roy's first few nights as easy as possible for him.

"Come along upstairs Master Roy," Alfred said. "You've been down here all afternoon."

"Ok," Roy said.

"Try to get some sleep," Bruce advised. "You need it." The bags under Roy's eyes are starting to look dark, indicating he was still depriving himself of sleep. 'Maybe Leslie can prescribe something to help him sleep.' Bruce hated to drug Roy and would much prefer to let the teen sleep on his own, but Roy couldn't be going without sleep, especially since he was training to be a vigilante. When you spent the entire night fighting crime, having definitive sleeping hours was vital. There was also Alfred to consider.

"Hey Bruce," Dick said as he put on his mask after Alfred and Roy had gone upstairs. "When do you think Roy will be ready?"

"It's only been two weeks Dick."

"I know, but he's doing a really good job."

"I know, but it'll still probably be a couple more months before he's ready to go on patrol with us."

"That'll be exciting! The criminals won't stay a chance once they see the great archer we've got!" He pulled his cape on and grinned. "Commissioner Gordon will be surprised too."

'He won't be the only one,' Bruce thought, thinking back to the League's first reactions to Robin. 'He won't be the only one.'

— —

After Roy had spent enough time upstairs for Alfred's standards he went back downstairs to the Bat-computer. After watching Dick and Bruce accessing it several times, he thought he'd able to handle it by himself, but it turned out he couldn't. Which Alfred must've somehow known because he was standing there behind Roy when the teen turned around to come get him.

"Do you require some help, Master Roy?" Alfred asked the sheepish teen.

"Yes please, Alfred."

"What is it you are looking for sir?"

"Um….cases. Bruce-Bruce said I needed to study closed cases."

"Of course sir." Alfred pulled up several files for Roy to look over, stealthily keeping Roy from seeing the one with his name. "There you are sir."

"Thank you, Alfred."

"Of course sir."

Roy went over the cases slowly, taking note about the investigation and crimes. The detailed reports covered every aspect of what had happened and kind of surprised him. Bruce's investigations were like actual, formal investigations that a police officer would run. 'It's so different from Oliver.' Not just with how criminals never died when Batman caught them, but Oliver's strategy had laws been: see someone committing a crime, kill them. The closest thing to an investigation they'd ever had was Oliver "interrogating" known gang members or drug dealers to find more of them. A shiver ran down Roy's spine and his stomach heaved a little. Interrogations had always been the hardest to watch. Batman was definitely brutal, these criminals had made terrible life choice by getting on his bad side, but it wasn't as bad as what Oliver had been doing.

'Kind of ironic,' Roy thought as he read. 'Since Oliver was always telling me that Batman was sadistic.'

Roy stayed at the Bat-computer until Bruce and Dick came back from their patrol.

"Hi, Roy!" Robin cheered as he hopped out. He ran over to Roy and practically hopped into the teen's lap.

"Robin," Batman said when Roy flinched. "Get down." Robin hopped down while Batman took his cowl off. "Didn't I tell you to get some sleep?"

"Um….yes?"

Bruce sighed. "Roy-"

"I'm sorry, I was just…."

"You're not in trouble."

"How come he's not in trouble?!" Robin demanded. When he stayed up past his bed-time he got grounded.

"Go get changed, Robin."

"Fine."

Bruce crouched down in front of Roy. "Roy, why don't you want to sleep?"

"I'm just….scared. If I go to sleep I'll have a bad dream."

"I know your dreams are terrifying, but you need to sleep."

"I don't want to."

"Well, you need to." Dick came back and Bruce stood up. "Dick, take Roy upstairs."

"Ok!" Dick beamed. He grabbed Roy's hand and dragged the reluctant teen upstairs.

"I'm not tired," Roy tried to tell him.

"Yes, you are."

"'I'm not."

"I'll be right here," Dick assured him as he pulled Roy to the bed. "Just get some sleep."

Roy laid down but didn't even bother to close his eyes. He simply stared at the dark ceiling while Dick curled against him. 'I'm not going to sleep,' he thought. 'I'm not going to sleep. I'm not going to sleep.' This mantra kept repeating in his head until he fell asleep.

A few hours later, Dick was woken by something hitting him on the side. He moaned and idly brushed at whatever it was. The hitting persisted though, this time moving down to his legs as well. Dick opened his eyes just in time for an elbow to hit his eye. He sat up and scrambled to turn the light on. Roy was tossing and turning in the bed. Dick ran back to him and knelt next to his friend. "Roy. Roy wake up!" He ducked as Roy's fist suddenly swung at him. "Roy wake up!"

"No!" Roy shouted, twisting away from Dick's hands. "Get away from me!"

"Roy's it's just a bad dream!"

"Stay away from me Ollie!"

"Roy it's me, Dick!" He shook Roy's shoulder, but this turned out to be a bad idea, because Roy lashed out. His fist glanced off Dick's face and the boy grabbed the teen's wrist. He grabbed the other wrist as well to keep him restrained. "Roy wake up! Roy!"

"Ah!" Roy yelled, sitting up suddenly. He gasped and blinked away the remnants of his bad dream. Then he realized someone was restraining him. His chest constricted along with his vision. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please don't hurt me! I won't fight back, I promise!"

Dick quickly released his hands as Bruce came in. "Roy, its ok, calm down," he said as crouched down by the bed.

"I was just trying to help him…" Dick muttered sadly as Roy curled up into a ball.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his face. 'Why is this becoming a nightly occurrence?' He glanced back and found Alfred standing behind him. 'Ok. Two upset kids, two of us.' They could do this. "Alfred, can you take Roy downstairs and get him some water?"

"Of course sir," Alfred replied. He quietly walked over to Roy and placed a gentle hand on his head. "Come along Master Roy." Roy hesitated for a second before unfolding himself and following. Bruce watched them go for a second before he turned to Dick.

"What happened?"

"I didn't want Roy to hurt himself…" Dick sniffed.

"Dick you need to be more careful about how you touch Roy."

"I know. I was just trying to help."

"I know you were." Dick crawled over to him and put his face on Bruce's chest. Not knowing what else to do, Bruce wrapped his arms around the child.

"Why is he like this Bruce? His nightmares are getting so bad he doesn't even want to sleep!"

"I know Dick, I know."

"He thought I was going to hurt him! He thinks everyone wants to hurt him!"

"I know."

"Why would Oliver do this to him?!"

Bruce hugged him tighter. "I know its hard Dick. Roy is your friend and its hard for you to see him like this."

"I just want him to get better."

"He will. It's just going to take time Dick."

"It's been 5 months!"

"I know, I know. It's going to take longer than that though."

"How much longer?"

"I don't know Dick. I do know that Roy will get better eventually."

"You sure?"

"Of course. With a friend like you, how can he not?" He could feel Dick smiling and could've sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" How bad was it that he was getting used to children around him apologizing for no reason? Probably pretty bad.

"Getting upset. Roy was the one who needed you, not me."

"Dick, you never have to apologize. You're a child. Situations like this are enough to give some adults nightmares, let alone a 10-year-old. Besides, Alfred is taking care of Roy. Don't count him out."

"I'd never want to do something like that."

"Heaven forbid." Dick smiled again. Footsteps alerted Bruce to Alfred and Roy's return. He glanced back. Roy looked better if still a little pale.

"I think it's time the long sirs returned to bed," Alfred advised.

"I agree." Bruce stood up so that Roy could lay down. Dick curled up next to him and Bruce covered them both with a blanket. "Try to get some sleep, Roy."

"Ok," Roy mumbled. He wrapped an arm around Dick, allowing the younger boy to cuddle closer. "I'm sorry I scared you," he whispered.

Dick yawned. "It's ok…" he muttered.

Alfred smiled as he watched them from the doorway. "Master Roy does make a nice addition to the family, don't you think?" he asked quietly as Bruce joined him.

Bruce looked back at the boys. He remembered the conversation he and Roy'd had earlier that day. "Yeah, I'd say so."

— —

It was taking every ounce of control Oliver had, which wasn't a lot, not to kill the man standing in front of him. Then again, killing the Commissioner of the Star City Police was probably not a smart idea. "I thought you told me that your best detective was handling the case?"

"He is- was…" Commissioner Lance replied, clearly wishing he was anywhere else.

"Then why are you closing the case if you still haven't found Roy?"

"Well-"

"Is his life not important?"

"Of course it is, but it has been 5 months sir."

"So?"

Commissioner Lance sighed. "Mr. Queen, I know this is hard for you to hear, but the case has gone cold. There are no leads, no evidence. Whoever is responsible, they covered their tracks very well."

"So you're giving up?"

"There's nothing more for us to do. I know this is difficult for you, it would be for any loving parent, but statistically….Roy is probably dead."

"He's not dead!" Oliver had to bit back his anger a little bit. He knew Roy was alive, but he couldn't exactly say why. "You think there's no hope?"

"You should never use hope, but…it might be better for you to grieve."

Oliver sighed and closed his eyes. "Get out. Get out of my home."

"Of course sir. I really am sorry."

Oliver waited until he was sure the Commissioner was gone before he threw something. It didn't give him any satisfaction to see the liquor bottle exploded against the wall. "That god damn kid! How the hell is he able to hide from me?!" He threw something else with another shout. "That worthless, little shit!" He started pacing, trying to figure out what to do next. Oliver hadn't really expected the police to find Roy, but it had been 5 months! 5 months and he still had no clue where Roy was! Oliver hated to admit it, but he didn't know what to do. "I'm not letting the Justice League win." Now it wasn't just a matter of getting Roy back. It was also a matter of making sure the League didn't get the last word. "That kid is causing more trouble than he's worth! I should've left him on that reservation!"

Still riled up, Oliver decided to go downstairs to shoot in the range in an attempt to blow off steam. He almost knocked stuff over grabbing his bow he was so forceful. "I will find Roy. I won't let the Justice League beat me. I'm going to find him and I'm going get back at the League." At the moment, Oliver was starting to regret ever having set foot at that archery tournament.


	38. How Oliver Met Roy

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry this chapter is a little late, I got sidetracked this afternoon. This is the second of the two flashback/backstory chapters and takes places two years before the start of the story. Enjoy!

So far this archery tournament was, in Oliver's professional opinion, boring. The kids had just finished shooting, which hadn't been entertaining at all. Some of them hit their targets, however, most did not. So he stood off to the side with his hands in his pockets, silently cursing the Arizona heat. 'Why is it so hot? God next time I build a new factory I'm doing it somewhere with more moderate temperatures.' Yeah, that sounded good. He sighed internally and ran his hands over his eyes. All he wanted was a day to relax and get away from the stress of his incompetent workers. So when he'd heard about this tournament, it had seemed like a good idea. Now though he was regretting that seeing as how all this was doing slowly killing him in heat and aggravating him due to the number of shots being missed. Not to mention there were no seats provided, everyone brought their own, so he'd been standing for hours. It certainly wasn't improving his mood. 'Everyone here is incompetent. All of them.'

His eyes swept the crowd of adults who were getting ready to shoot next. 'They'll all be just as bad,' he thought bitterly. Not that he expected everyone to be as good as him, who could be, but he'd been expecting some level of competence! He was going to just leave when he saw something that made him stop. On the edge of the group of adults was a much smaller, red-haired figure. The boy turned around and Oliver was surprised to discover he was….a kid! 'He can't be any over the what….10? 11?' He was young for sure. Barely bigger than the longbow in his hand. 'He's not…competing is he?' He hadn't competed with the kids. Oliver was certain he would've remembered this kid, so he must've been competing with the adults. 'Who the hell does this kid think he is?!' Oliver crossed his arms as he examined the child. He didn't look nervous, the way you'd expect most kids to be going up against adults to be. Clearly, the adults around him were thinking the same thing Oliver was. The kid didn't appear to be fazed though.

The whistle blew and the kid stepped up to the line with the other archers. Oliver watched carefully, tracking the kid's every movement. 'He has to be confident if he's shooting with that bow.' The kid kept his bow pointed at the ground while the others around him pointed their arrows at the targets. This only peeked Oliver's interest in the kid even more. When the whistle blew again the kid raised his bow, drawing the strong back with apparent ease. The whistle blew three more times, and the kid fired his arrow. It hit the bullseye, but before Oliver could register his surprise, the kid had fired off another arrow. 'Damn he's….not incompetent.' He stood up straighter as the kid hit his third bullseye. They weren't even clustered. The kid had lined them up in a row across the center of the bullseye!

'Holy shit! Who the hell is this kid?!'

The kid ran over to an older man who was sitting in a folding chair ten feet off to Oliver's right. The kid embraced the man, who Oliver guessed….might have been his father? Except the man looked nothing like the kid. He glanced around and saw two of the other competitors are whispering and looking at the kid. 'Well, he's not making any friends.' Oliver directly observed the kid while they went through the next round. He sat on the ground, leaning against the man's legs comfortably. When it was his turn again, the kid jumped up. He said something to the man, but Oliver was too far away to hear it. His eyes followed the boy as he ran over to the judges' table to get his number verified. 'Let's see if he can pull off that win again.' His eyes never left the kid, closely examining his stance, his grip, every aspect of the small red-head's shooting. Once the timer stopped again Oliver's eyes traveled to the target.

Six perfect bullseyes.

Not just perfect, the kid had lined up his arrows so perfectly that they fletchings of the arrows barely touched! Oliver's eyes followed the boy as he retrieved his arrows and rejoined the old man. He started to move subtly closer, trying tonged close enough to overhear them. He froze when the kid suddenly turned his head. In one smooth motion he pivoted his body away and pulled out his phone so he could pretend to text. Once he was pretty sure the kid wasn't looking anymore he turned back again. He saw them post the standings and smiled. As calmly and nondescript as possible, Oliver joined the crowd of people going to look, only a foot behind the red-headed kid. He waited until the kid found his own score, eyes traded on the box after the boy's finger left it. The kid slipped away but Oliver stepped forward to look. "Second place," he whispered. He stepped away and walked back, once again watching the boy. He could've used the sheet to check the kid's name, but he simply shrugged.

'His name doesn't really matter,' Oliver thought dismissively. 'The only thing that matters is his shooting.'

The kid was up again, so Oliver resumed his post, this time moving subtly closer so he could have a better vantage point. 'Let's see you pull the hat trick.' Hat trick indeed. This time the kid's arrows made an 'X' in the center of the target. Oliver smiled and absent-mindedly stroked his goatee. The kid received several angry looks but seemed completely unfazed as he retrieved his arrows. 'This kid is really something.' He didn't want to get ahead of himself, but his brain was already imagining what he could with a kid who had this kind of skill. He glanced around and discovered two of the men who'd just been competing were at the judges' table. 'Let me guess: those two so-called 'archers' are mad because of some kid has proven to them how incompetent they are.' Sure enough one of the judges gestured to the kid.

Oliver stealthily slipped closer, pulling out his phone and putting it to his ear so it wouldn't look like he was eavesdropping.

"Can I help you?" the kid asked, snark practically dripping on his every word.

"Son we've received several complaints about your conduct during this competition," a judge said, sounding very much like he was trying to keep his cool.

"Conduct? What do you mean? Have I said something to offend or demean someone?"

"Well no, but-"

"Oh then did I cheat?"

"Not that we can tell-"

"How has my conduct been reportable then?"

"Your sportsmanship is reprehensible."

"Me?" Oliver's teeth ground at the fake shock in the kid's voice. "I would never. What sportsmanship rule from the rulebook have I broken?"

"Believe me, I'm looking for one," another judge said distractedly.

The first judge sighed. "The other competitors feel….threatened-"

"I'm not threatening anyone," the kid said in his own defense. "I'm just shooing to the best of my ability. Isn't that the point of an archery competition?"

"…Yes, I suppose it is."

"So I haven't broken any rules and I'm just shooting my best, then why are we speaking?" It took every ounce of self-control Oliver had not to turn around and slap the mouth off that kid.

'What a cocky little shit,' he thought, clenching one of his fists. He took a deep breath and unclenched it slowly, which caused him to miss what the judges had said in return.

"Would you prefer I don't shoot to the best of my ability? You want me to throw the match?" Wow, the kid still sounded way too over-confident.

"Never mind," the first judge said quickly. "Just go."

"Nice talking with you gentlemen."

Oliver turned and watched the kid go. He stepped away, putting his phone away as he did. The conversation had put a slight damper on his mood. 'That kid needs a serious attitude adjustment,' he thought angrily as he walked back to his spot. 'He's a cocky little shit who should learn some respect.' He crossed his arms as he watched the kid. He was talking to the old man again, that confident smirk still on his face. Just looking at it made Oliver wan to slap the kid. Luckily, the kid's number was called again and he was able to redirect his attention to the kid's archery. Whether it was from the heat, or he was just getting tired, the first thing Oliver noticed was that the kid's form was getting sloppy. His stance wasn't quite as clean as it should've been, and he was holding the bow way too tight. 'He's putting too much tension on the string like that. If he adjusted his grip he could get a much more even shot off.' Despite the what now seemed like glaring flaws in the kid's form, he pulled off a reasonable performance.

'Four out of six,' Oliver noted, feeling slightly agitated at the kid's inaccuracy. 'Not good, but better than everyone else.' The kid got his medal and ran over to the old man. 'He's cocky, sloppy, and a brat.' And yet Oliver couldn't stop staring. This kid irritated him, but he had to know more. Sloppy and cocky or not, he'd just beaten every adult here. That in mind, Oliver took a deep breath and put on his best businessman smile. He approached the boy, who was hugging the old man.

"That was quite an impressive win," he said casually. The boy turned around and Oliver got his first good look at the kid. He was kind of small but built enough for archery. His bright green eyes scanned Oliver, clearly taken aback by the billionaire's appearance.

"Thanks." the boy smirked. "Nice goatee."

"Roy," the old man said in a warning tone; clearly wanting the boy to behave himself. Oliver fought to keep the smile on his face.

"You don't like it?" Oliver asked playfully, running his hand over it.

"I'm sorry for my son, he's a little vocal."

"That's ok. Kids will be kids." He smiled down at the boy. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your win. For someone of your age, it's very impressive."

"Thank you."

"I'm Oliver Queen." He stuck his hand out, unsure of the kid would shake it. Fortunately, he did.

"Roy Harper," the boy said politely.

"Well Roy, I was wondering if I could treat you and your father to some ice cream."

"That'd be-" Roy stopped suddenly, and Oliver felt a spike of alarm. "Thanks, Mr. Queen, but we should probably pass."

"Nonsense," the old man said. "You should go."

"You're tired-"

"Mike was giving us a ride back anyways. If Mr. Queen doesn't mind dropping you off afterward…"

"Not at all," Oliver said with an easy smile. If his father didn't come, that was all the better. It'd be much easier to interrogate the kid without the old man around.

"You sure?" Roy asked him.

"Of course. You deserve to have a good time." Oliver was mildly surprised this old man was willing to let his son go with some strange man they'd just met. He glanced around and realized several people were watching them; particularly the man who was walking towards them. That was probably why.

'Close-knit community,' he thought. 'Makes, sense. Small town.'

"Ok!" Roy gave his bow to his father, along with his quiver. He gave him another hug, then passed him off to his friend, who gave Oliver a look.

"Ready?" Oliver asked Roy.

"Let's go." He walked beside Oliver as they left the park where the competition had been held.

"Right over here." Oliver glanced down and almost smirked at the shocked look on the kid's face. 'He probably hasn't seen too many nice cars in a run-down place like this.'

"Whoa. Nice car."

"Thanks," Oliver said as they got in. "It's a rental."

"Are you from around here?" Roy asked as Oliver drove away.

"No, I'm just in town on business. I'm from Star City."

"Star City? Where is that?"

"California. Near San Fransisco."

"Cool. Turn right here. I know a great place."

"You're the boss."

"Why were you at the competition?"

"I'm a bit of an archer myself and I thought it might be fun. Good thing I did too or neither of us would get ice cream."

"True. This is it." Oliver parked and followed Roy to the ice cream shop. Even though it was less of a shop and more of a shack. Not even that, and it was a pitiful sight to the billionaire.

"Go ahead and get whatever you want." Roy ended up getting a triple scoop of chocolate and Oliver got strawberry. They got a table in the sun and Roy dug into his. 'Pace yourself, Queen,' Oliver reminded himself silently. He didn't want to scare the kid off. Of course, he was also a kid, so he was probably too stupid to figure out what was going on. "Have you been an archer for a long time?"

"Since I was 5. So….7 years." So he was 12.

"Only 7?"

"I practice a lot. After-school every day and on the weekends."

"Don't you have friends?"

"Not really."

Oliver nodded. He was a loner. Good. "Do you do competitions like this often?"

"Kind of. I do that one every year and others nearby."

"Do you always get first place?"

"Yup."

"Wait, really?" Part of him was convicted Roy was just bragging and being cocky again. 'Relax,' Oliver told himself silently. 'The ice cream guy is watching us.' He glanced back at the shack. Not so subtly, but yes.

"Oh yeah. That's why I was competing with the adults. I kept getting perfect scores against other kids."

"Well then." Oliver had to really try not to get his hopes up. There was no way this kid was as good as he claimed to be.

Roy took a bite and Oliver could tell he was being surveyed by his companion very carefully. "You said you were from Star right?"

"I did."

"Isn't the Green Arrow from there?"

Oliver felt his muscles tense involuntarily. Half from the reminder of his alter ego being brought to the front of his mind (try not to think about the scum running free in my city) and half because it was his knee-jerk reaction. "Yes… Why?"

"He's the greatest archer in the world!"

Oliver made a confused face. In general, the outside world tended not to understand his mission, or why what he did was so important. The world was generally content with the corruption and filth that had taken over the city. "You think so?"

"Sure! I mean….I've only ever heard what Brave Bow says he does."

"Brave Bow is…."

"My dad. Raymond Begay."

"Oh right. He tells you about Green Arrow?"

"Well, a few years ago I overheard some kids at school talking about this amazing archer in Star City. Brave Bow says I don't need to watch the news about him because it might not be what I think it is."

"He does?"

"Yeah. All I know is Green Arrow is the best archer in the world and he fights crime."

"….That's it?" Roy nodded. "And you….look up to him?"

"He's my hero."

Oliver smiled. "Fascinating."

"Have you ever met him?"

"Me? No, I'm just businessman. I don't have anything to do with that….vigilante nonsense."

"Brave Bow thinks it's nonsense too."

"I will say though, the Green Arrow is a great hero."

"He is?"

"He'd do whatever it takes to keep Star City safe. Don't you think that's a good hero?"

"Of course!"

Oliver smiled even more. This was too perfect. A prodigy archer who was just ignorant enough about Green Arrow to look up to him? How much better could this get? "Did Brave Bow teach you archery?"

"Yeah…." Roy's face fell suddenly and he looked down at his ice cream.

"Something wrong?"

"No…" His voice got choked-up and he took a deep breath.

"You sure? You seem kind of upset." Not that Oliver particularly cared about Roy's problems, but he had a feeling this was probably important.

"It's nothing…." His voice was shaking now.

"I know we just met, but you can tell me. Whatever is. Maybe I can help."

Roy shook his head. "You can't."

"How do you know?"

Roy looked at him and Oliver was unfazed, but more intrigued, at the devastated look on his face. "Can you cure cancer?" Oliver gave him an unsure look. "Brave Bow has liver cancer."

"Oh."

"It's terminal. He-he's going to die."

"…Oh." There was an awkward silence. "How long-"

"A few weeks probably. We've known for the last few months."

"Do you have any family you're going to live with?"

Roy shook his head. "I'm adopted and Brave Bow is the only family I have." He looked up at Oliver. "When Brave Bow dies I have to leave the reservation and go live in a foster home."

So that's how it could get better. He resisted the urge to smile, but thankfully Roy was looking down. 'The stars have aligned.' Roy looked back up at him and Oliver had composed his face into a mask of concern. "Maybe it won't be so bad."

"It won't be home." He wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry we're supposed to be celebrating."

"It's fine."

Roy finished the last couple of bites of ice cream. "Thanks for the ice cream Mr. Queen."

"You're welcome and call me Oliver."

"Oliver."

"Come on, we should get you home or your dad will start to worry."

"Did you have fun at the competition today?" Roy asked Oliver as they got in the car.

"I did. Although seeing the 12-year-old blow all the adults out of the water was the best part." Roy smiled. Oliver followed the boy's instructions as he drove him home. "What're you going to do with that medal?"

"Put it on my wall. I have a whole bunch of them hanging up. You wanna see?"

Oliver smiled. "Sure." He wanted to see if this kid was really as good as he claimed to be.

"Cool."

When they got to the house Roy hopped out and ran up the front steps. It was a single story house, although Oliver thought was using the term loosely, made of sun-washed, wooden boards. Roy opened the door and Oliver followed him inside. The story wasn't much different inside. It was largely one room with a kitchen cornered off by a counter that separated it from a table that had phone books propping up two of the legs. One the left was a living room area with a couch pushed agent the far wall and an ancient tv facing it by the windows opposite. On the far side of the room, by the corner was a door. If he glanced down the hall he could make out two more doors facing each other in the tiny hallway. All in all, Oliver was pretty sure his bedroom as bigger than this place. "Brave Bow, I'm home! I'm gonna show Oliver my medals!"

"I hope you're not bothering him too much Roy," Brave Bow said. He was laying on the couch, covered in a blanket despite the desert heat.

"It's no bother at all," Oliver assured him.

"This way." Roy led the man into his bedroom; the door that led to the living room. The room was tiny, with a bed that almost stretch the length of the room. The wall perpendicular to the door was covered in medals, all hanging on individual nails. Next to Oliver on his right was a dresser with clothes hanging out of it.

'This is more like a closet,' Oliver thought.

Roy took off his medal from around his neck and hung it on the empty nail on his wall. "See?" He waved his arm in front of them.

"Wow. You've got a lot." Most of them were gold, with first place imprinted on the front.

"28 to be exact."

"You're 12 right?"

"Mhm! At least half are first place."

"That's really impressive."

"Thanks." Roy led him back into the main room. He went over to his father. "Brave Bow, Oliver is an archer too."

"Well, he was at an archery competition Roy," his father smiled.

"Can he come back sometime so I can show him my bow?"

"Why don't you show him now?"

"I would love that, but I have to go," Oliver said. Truly he didn't, but he wanted a reason to come back. "But I'll be in the area for a little while as long as I'm getting my factory off the ground."

"Well….as long as he's not going out of his way, I see no reason why Oliver can't come back sometime."

"Cool!"

"Show your guest out Roy."

"Right, right." Roy led Oliver over to the door. "Thanks again for the ice cream."

"You're welcome," Oliver smiled. "I promise I'll be back soon and you can show me that bow of yours."

"Of course!"

"Bye Roy."

"Bye Oliver."

Oliver left, almost humming with happiness as he walked back to his car. This was too perfect. Perfect wasn't even the word to describe it! What were the odds, the god given odds, that he'd find this young, prodigy archer, who was about to become an orphan and had nowhere to go? He smiled to himself as he drove. 'He's perfect,' Oliver smiled. "Absolutely perfect." Of course, the idea of having a burden like taking care of a kid did weigh on him a little bit. "The things I could do with him though." That was true. With the proper training and an attitude adjustment, Roy could be an excellent addition to Oliver's arsenal. Of course, there was always the chance Roy wouldn't take to his…methods. "That can be easily fixed though. He's young and stupid. It'd be too easy for me to manipulate him into agreeing with me." He sighed. Did he really want this kid? Truthfully, no. "He'd be useful though. My mission could be so much more efficient if I could cover twice the ground." Not to mention, that Oliver knew if he could get deep enough into Roy's head, should he die on the job, someone would be there to carry on his mission. He smirked. "Looks like I'm getting a kid."

— —

Oliver had to force himself to stay away from Roy for a couple of days. He didn't want to come on too strong. If he did, he would've scared the kid off. For once, this made him happy the people building his factory were so incompetent because it gave him something else to focus on. Even if that focus made him want to kill people. Thankfully, the weekend came and he decided that it was ok to go back and see Roy. As he drove, he tried to figure out the best way to do this. 'I need Roy to trust me. I need him to like me.' Which was why he was making this long trip. "He's just a stupid kid. This should be too easy." When he made it to the house, he knocked on the door. It opened a few seconds later.

"Hello, Mr. Queen," Roy's father said.

"Good morning Mr. Begay," Oliver said with a smile.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" He shut the door and limped his way back to the couch.

"I had some free time and I remembered I told Roy I'd come see his bow."

"Oh yes, he was really excited about that." He covered himself with the blanket, once again despite the heat. "He usually doesn't have anyone to talk about archery with besides me."

"That's too bad."

"Yes, it is." Sadness crept in on the old man's exhausted face, but he shook it away quickly. "Roy is out back. Down that hallway."

"Thanks." Oliver made his way quietly down the small hallway. He pushed the screen door open and stepped down onto the ground. Roy was shooting at a target 15 yards away, apparently oblivious he was being watched. "That's some nice shooting," Oliver said. Roy's arm jerked in surprise, causing his next arrow to miss the target. "Whoops."

"You came back," Roy said in surprise.

"I did promise to come see your bow."

Roy smiled as he held it out to the man. Oliver took it from him carefully so he could examine it. "It's wooden. Brave Bow made it for me himself."

"It's very nice craftsmanship. He has a good eye." It really was a nice bow. So nice it almost made him jealous. Oliver handed it back. "It's an interesting choice of bow for someone your age."

Roy shrugged. "I've been using them for years."

"You ever use a compound or a recurve?"

"No. Do you?"

"I use a variety." He looked past Roy to the target. "How long have you been practicing?"

"Today? Since sun up."

"That long?"

Roy nodded. "I practice all day when I don't have school."

"No wonder you're such a good shot. You must really like archery kid."

"I love it! It's the best thing in the whole world." He turned around to fire another arrow, missing the look on Oliver's face.

"I'm glad you think so." He walked a little closer to Roy. "You ever do anything besides archery?"

"Watch tv. I go hiking with Brave Bow. I play basketball sometimes." He shot another arrow. "Some boys in my class let me play if they have uneven numbers. I don't exactly have a lot of friends." He shot another arrow. "Especially lately." He hit another bullseye. "All my friends are more like "I'll eat with you at lunch and let you play ball" type friends and less "I'll hang out with you on the weekend" type friends."

"I see. It's ok. I didn't have a lot of friends when I was your age either and I turned out fine."

Roy smiled at him. "You're rich too."

"That's just money I inherited from my dad. The company too."

"That's pretty sweet."

"Yeah it's-" Oliver phone went off. Dammit. "Excuse me." He stepped away. "What?!" he snapped quietly into the phone. He didn't want his temper to scare Roy.

"I'm sorry Mr. Queen.." the manager said, clearly scared about pissing off his boss. "It's just…"

"Spit. It. Out."

"We're having a problem with setting up some of the machines-"

"Can't you handle it? Isn't that what I pay you for?"

"It's just that the contractors are behind and seeing how you're the big boss-"

"Fine, fine. I'll be there in a few hours."

"Thank you, Mr. Queen-" Oliver hung up, swallowing his irritation. 'Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots.' He turned back to Roy, who had shot 15 more arrows. All bullseyes.

"How long was I gone?"

"I'm fast," Roy smiled.

"Yeah, I see that."

"Who was that?"

"The manager of my factory, I have to go."

"Oh." A look of disappointment passed over the teen's face and Oliver could've smiled. Oh, this would be way easier than he thought.

"I'll try to swing by again, maybe we can shoot together."

"Really?"

"Why not? I'm the big boss I can take days off whenever I want."

"Ok. Bye Oliver." Roy shot off five more arrows in rapid succession.

"Bye Speedy." Oliver smiled to himself as he turned away. 'I'll definitely see you again soon.'

— —

Unfortunately, the incompetence of not only his manager but his regional president and contractors proved to keep him busy. Every time he put a proverbial, or real, fire another one popped up. Eventually, though, he was able to pull himself away from the project, more for the safety of those he was working with and made the trip to the reservation. While he drove he tried to think of some reason for him to be there. He thought back to their earlier conversations. 'Roy said his father takes him hiking.' It was perfect. He could get Roy away from his father and get him alone. He smiled to himself as he pulled up in front of the house.

Roy opened the door when he knocked on it. "Oliver!"

"Hi Roy," Oliver smiled. Roy let him in and shut the door. "Sir."

"Afternoon Mr. Queen," Brave Bow said. He tried to sit up, but Roy ran over.

"Don't," the boy told him, making his father lay down again. "You're in pain, you should be resting." He went over to the kitchen counter and looked through the medications.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Brave Bow asked Oliver.

"Well, I needed a day off and I thought I'd take a hike in these lovely mountains," Oliver said, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

"There's a lot of great hiking paths around here," Roy told him, forcing three pills into Brave Bow's hand. "Here." He knelt down and lifted his father's head while he helped him take the medication.

"I was hoping you two might know anyone who would be willing to act as a guide for me? I'm terrible with directions and I get lost so easily—"

"Roy could show you," Brave Bow suggested. "I've taken him up there hundreds of times."

"You need me here," Roy protested.

"No. You need some fresh air. Go get your shoes on."

"He knows where he's going?" Oliver asked.

"He knows exactly where he's going."

"As long as you don't mind him coming…"

"He really needs to get out of the house. Kids his age are supposed to be out playing while they're on break from school. I don't want him cooped up in here all the time." The conversation stopped abruptly as Roy came back.

"Did you have a specific path in mind?" Roy asked Oliver as he dumped two water bottles into his canteen.

"No, but I'm sure you know a good one."

"I do." Roy hung his canteen over his body and tightened the straps. He knelt down in front of his father. "If you need anything make sure—"

"I will call Mike," Brave Bow said. "Promise." Roy gave him a gentle hug. "Be good and make sure you give Oliver the best view."

"I will." Roy followed Oliver out and hopped, no need to open the door, into his jeep.

"Which way?" Oliver asked.

"Head down this road." Roy pointed down the dirt road that the house sat on. "Turn left up ahead."

"You come out this way a lot?"

"Kind of. Brave Bow and I go hiking on this trail a lot."

"So you know it really well?"

"Don't worry. We won't get lost. Right there. That lot."

"Lot?" Oliver asked as he parked. "Roy, this is a dirt circle."

"Lot." Roy hopped out and Oliver followed. "This way." He found the trail easily and led Oliver towards the mountain. They made their way up the mountain-side, following the dusty trail. Truthfully, this was nothing for Oliver physically; nor was it anything worse than what he'd faced on the island. However, he followed Roy, stumbling every now and again, acting like a stupid city boy.

'If Roy feels like he's in control he'll be able to trust me easier.'

About halfway up Roy looked back at Oliver. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine." He forced his voice to sound a little winded to further sell to Roy he wasn't a threat and just a friend city-dweller. It seemed to work because Roy smiled in an incredibly amused way.

"Yeah. Sure." He handed Oliver his canteen. "You didn't bring water."

"Thanks, kid." Oliver took a drink and handed it back. "This the end?"

"Nope." Roy slipped his canteen back over his body. "Halfway point."

"What?!"

Roy laughed. "Come on, let's go."

An hour later Roy pulled himself over the last ridge. He looked back at Oliver. "Need help?"

"Nope." Oliver pulled himself up and stood next to Roy on the cliff. "Nice view."

Roy nodded. They could see the whole town and the next town over from this cliff. "It's my favorite." He sat on the edge and Oliver joined him.

"You don't have views like this in Star. All I see from my office is more buildings."

"I've never seen a city."

"Really?"

"I've barely been off the reservation. Never south of Flagstaff though. Or been to Flagstaff."

Ironic, since that's where Oliver was staying and where his factory was being built. "Huh. Brave Bow bring you up here a lot?"

"He likes it up here. He says its peaceful."

"You guys don't exactly have a lot of neighbors, I imagine it's not exactly rowdy." Oliver took a sip from the canteen. "You said Brave Bow adopted you, right?"

Roy snorted. "Do I look like his birth son?"

"Good point. When did he adopt you?"

"When I was two and a half. My dad….my dad was a forest ranger. He died in a forest fire."

"He did?"

"Yeah. Brave Bow and some other men from the reservation were there and my dad got them out but….he died from the smoke inhalation after going back into the flames so many times."

"That's too bad. What about your mom?"

"What about her? She took off just after I was born."

"She did?"

"That's what my dad told Brave Bow. You know on his deathbed and all that. I don't even know her name."

"Huh."

"What about your family?"

"I don't have any."

"You don't?"

"I lost my parents when I was about your age."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks. You know Roy, if you don't have any friends….I'd like to be your friend?"

"You would?"

"Of course. We have a lot in common, don't we?"

Roy thought about it. "Yeah, I guess we do."

"You remind me of a younger version of myself. Just grow to make better life choices." Roy laughed. "So, friends?"

"Yeah." Roy bumped his fist. "We're friends."

'Too easy,' Oliver thought with a smile. 'This will be too damn easy.'

— —

It was only a few days later that Oliver decided he needed to go back to the reservation. This time though, he brought his bow and quiver. 'This way, I can connect with him and test him a little more one on one.' He pulled up in front of the tiny house and walked up, casually swinging his bow in his hand. He knocked and it was Raymond Begay who answer. "Good afternoon," he said in a tone that was usually reserved for investors.

"Good afternoon to you as well Mr. Queen," the old man replied. He let the billionaire and practically hobbled back over to the couch. "I see you've come prepared to shoot." Once he was sitting he held out his hand. "May I?" After briefly weighing his options, Oliver handed over his bow. Brave Bow looked it over with a slow, yet visibly well-trained eye. "It's a nice bow. Looks expensive."

"I only use the best equipment. Roy told me you built his."

"I did. I wanted him to have a bow he could grow into, as well as something nice considering how hard he practices." HE handed the bow back to Oliver. "That's an interesting color for a bow, especially for someone from Star City."

"What'd you mean?"

"You might be just a businessman Mr. Queen, but surely even you know about the Green Arrow."

"I've heard about him."

"Are you a fan of his?"

"A fan? I don't think he has any of those…besides Roy."

"Yes… Unfortunately…." The disgust in the old man's voice was evident.

"I'm guessing you're not though."

"Roy is young. He sees pictures of the Green Arrow and hears about his…. vigilante mission and thinks him to be some….modern day Robin Hood."

"But you disagree?"

"Whole-heartedly. I think he's more like the Sheriff of Nottingham with Robin Hood's stolen bow and misguided morals."

"…..You do?"

"Yes. He's a murderer disguised as a hero, which is why I hoped Roy would grow out of his fascination with him. I never allowed him to know the truth about Green Arrow to protect him."

"You want to protect him from the truth?"

Brave Bow nodded. "I'm his guardian Mr. Queen. It's my job to protect him." Oliver almost rolled his eyes. "However, it does bring me some comfort to know my own would never want to be like the Green Arrow and do what he does, the way he does it."

"You think so?"

"The boy I raised would never agree to methods like those." For a moment, Oliver was afraid he'd been figured out. His brain was stumbling over itself to figure out what to do or say before the old man smiled at him. "I'm sorry for that tangent…. Roy says my mind is going a bit."

"Not at all."

"Roy is out back if you'd like to shoot with him. I know he'd love it."

"Thank you." Oliver shook his head as he made his way to the backyard. As he stepped out into the hot sun, he saw Roy finishing his shooting and reaching for his canteen. "Hi." Roy obviously hadn't heard him and the canteen jumped between his hands for a few seconds before he caught it.

"You surprised me," Roy said.

"Clearly."

"What're you doing here?"

Did the kid really not see the bow and quiver? Oliver held up the recurve bow in his hand. "I did say we'd shoot together sometime." The bright look on Roy's face almost made him stumble back in shock. "Unless you don't want to-"

"I do! I do! Was there!" Oliver watched as Roy ran with surprising speed to the target and retired his arrows. The boy held half the arrow out to him. "Here you go."

"I already got my own." Oliver turned slightly so Roy could see the quiver. "Thanks though."

"You can shoot first."

"Alright." Oliver selected an arrow and nocked it to his bow. The distance of the target was a joke to him. A such, he only needed a second to aim before he loosed the arrow and it hit the dead-center of the bullseye.

"Good shot." Roy fired his own arrow, which landed next to Oliver's.

"You too. Want to have a competition?"

"Sure."

"Ok." Oliver had some suspicions about this kid being a fast shot, so he quickly devised a test. "I'm going to time us for….1 minute. He held out his phone for Roy to see. "We'll see who can shoot more arrows." He definitely didn't miss the smirk on the kid's face. Still an over-confident brat.

"Got it."

"Ready….go." At first, Oliver was going easy on the kid, But when he realized Roy was 5 arrows ahead, he stepped up his pace. By the time the timer stopped, he was actually shooting at his fastest. Somehow though, Roy actually did beat him.

"I won."

"I see that."

"I'll get the arrows." Roy ran to the target while Oliver rubbed his goatee and studied the boy. How he could shoot that fast was a mystery, but he could and that was all Oliver cared about. "You're arrows are really nice."

"Thanks." The two of them went back to regular shooting and Oliver tried to think of anything else he should test Roy on. "How far away do you think the target is?"

"Um…10 yards?"

"Pretty close. Good guess. Good thing there's plenty of space out here."

"I know." Within a split second decision, Oliver aimed his arrow at the end of Roy's. Unfortunately, the materials the arrow were made of weren't conducive to his plan. "You missed. Guess you aren't as good as you thought."

Oliver's hand tightened around his bow. This kid's attitude was seriously grating on his already, very short nerves. "Oh really? Why don't you take a closer look?" He took a moment to try and calm down as he watched Roy examine the arrow in the target.

"You tried to split my arrow!"

"I did. I think the arrows are made of the wrong material for that though." Roy's smile took him by surprise once again.

"You're just like Robin Hood!" Oliver's mind flashed back to his earlier conversation with Brave Bow.

"I'm Robin Hood?"

"You shoot like him."

Before Oliver could answer, his phone went off. He pulled it out and swore quietly under his breath. More real and proverbial fires to put out. "I have to leave."

"You do?" The disappointed tone in Roy's voice almost made Oliver smile. Looks like the kids was getting attached to him already. "But we're having fun."

"Sorry Roy, made we can do it again sometime."

"Ok. Well…bye."

"I'll see you later." Oliver made a quick good-bye to the boy's father before he left. Their conversations as replaying in his head as he drove away. 'I clearly can't allow Begay to figure out I am the Green Arrow. Thankfully Roy has been kept so ignorant.' He remembered what the old man had said about Roy never agreeing to the Green Arrow's methods. He scoffed. "That almost sounds like challenge old man, and I never turn down a challenge."

— —

In a way, the incompetence was proving to be kind of a blessing right now. On the one hand, Oliver was furious his regional president had somehow forgotten several important papers Oliver needed to sign for the contractors. However, it gave him another perfect opportunity to get Roy to trust him. He pulled up in front of the decrepit house to talk to Roy. He walked up the front steps and knocked on the door.

Roy opened the door. "Oliver."

"Hi. Bad time?" Roy looked a little stressed.

"Uh…." Roy glanced back at his father. "Kind of."

"Who is it?" Brave Bow asked him.

"It's Oliver." Roy let him in and shut the door.

"Good Morning, Mr. Queen."

"Morning," Oliver nodded.

"What brings you here?"

"Well, I have to go to Phoenix tomorrow for a meeting and go over a few papers with the division of my company there. I thought maybe Roy would like to come with me."

"Really?" Roy asked. Oliver smiled when he saw the slight excitement on the boy's face.

"You've never been to the city and it's a really long drive to make alone."

"Brave Bow needs me."

"No, no," Brave Bow said, holding Roy's hand. "You should go."

"Really? I can skip school?"

"Yes. It's not every day you get a chance to go into the city."

"So, is that a yes?" Oliver asked him.

"Yeah!"

"Alright. I'll pick you up bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Cool."

When he was back in his hotel room, Oliver couldn't fight the smile on his face. This was going way better than he thought it would go. "I'll have that kid soon enough." There was only one problem though…his father. So far the old man seemed to be about as clueless to Oliver's intentions as Roy was. "He's obviously getting weaker, but is he really getting any more dead?" It was starting to worry Oliver. "If he's not dead by the time I leave, Roy might not want to go with me." Roy wouldn't even have a reason to go with Oliver if Brave Bow was still alive. Unacceptable. "But if I'm not around when he's at his most vulnerable, he might not reach out to me." An idea started to form in his mind and he grabbed his laptop.

The next morning he set out for the reservation before the sun was up. The sooner he got to Roy, the more time he could spend getting to him. Clearly, this was the right track, considering that when he knocked on the door he barely had to wait a minute before the door opened.

"Hi, Oliver!" Roy beamed.

"You're eager today," Oliver smiled. "Mr. Begay…."

"Morning, Mr. Queen." Roy knelt down and gave him a hug. "Be good."

"I will.

"Do what Mr. Queen says and don't run off by yourself."

"I won't."

"Make sure you have fun."

"I will." Roy gave him one last hug before he followed Oliver out of the house.

"Excited?" Oliver asked him they got in the car.

"Yeah!" Once they left the reservation Roy looked at Oliver. "Is Phoenix a lot like Star?"

"Kind of. There're some differences."

"No Green Arrow."

"That's true."

The ride down was long but more or less enjoyable. Conversation was a little hard with the wind beating against them in the convertible, but that didn't stop them. Roy told Oliver about some of his favorite competitions he'd competed in and found out more about Oliver's life.

"You were really stranded on a desert island?!"

"You think I'd joke about something like that?"

"It's just….shipwrecked on a desert island? That's like something out of a movie."

"Trust me, kid, it was nothing like a movie. I was hungry, thirsty, alone. I spent a year if my life on that island."

"Were you scared?"

"I was at first. After a while, though I figured out it was eat or be eaten. When you're faced with odds like that, what can you do but survive?"

"Did anyone miss you?"

"Eh…not really."

"Was it fun?"

"Fun?! No running water for a year and you think I had fun?!"

"It could've been."

Oliver laughed. "I did feel….rejuvenated though."

"What does that mean?"

"It means….I felt refreshed."

"Why?"

"I learned something very important on that island." Roy gave him a curious look. An odd look crossed Oliver's face as he thought about his days back on the island. "I learned that sometimes you have to do unpleasant things to get a pleasant outcome."

Roy snorted. "That's awfully deep for an island with no people on it. You're just making it up." He glanced off to the side, which Oliver was grateful for, as he had to tighten his grip around the steering wheel.

'Arrogant little shit.' Roy definitely needed an attitude adjustment.

"Is this it?!"

"Yes. We're here."

"Whoa. These buildings are so tall!" His innocence filled Oliver with an almost glee.

'He's so simple-minded. This is almost too easy. I'll impress him with the glamor of my life. This kid will be putty in my hands in no time.' This trip would go a long way to do that. "I have some papers to go over at the office," Oliver said as they pulled into a parking garage. "After that though, we can walk around and see the city."

"Sweet."

"If you're interested, I heard there's a baseball game tonight. We can go if you want."

"Really?"

"Sure."

Roy stayed close to Oliver once they were in the building. Oliver smiled. Roy was already trusting him enough that he was seeking Oliver's protection in an unknown situation. 'This is far better than I could've hoped.' When Roy took an unconscious step towards Oliver as the security guard approached them, he put a gentle hand on Roy's back for a second.

"Mr. Queen," the man said shaking his hand. "Mr. Cahill asked me to escort you upstairs."

"Lead the way," Oliver replied gesturing.

"Who's Mr. Cahill?" Roy asked quietly as they were lead over to an elevator.

"He's the president of the company here in Phoenix. He has the papers I need to sign."

Roy never took his eyes off the guy with the gun, which Oliver definitely noticed. "Why does he have a gun?"

"He's a security guard. They all have guns." Oliver smiled at him. "Don't worry. Unless you're here to kill me or steal my company's secrets, he won't pull it on you." They walked into Cahill's office and the man smiled at Oliver.

"Mr. Queen," Mr. Cahill said, shaking his hand. "Nice to see you. Who's this?"

"This Is Roy," Oliver said, putting an arm around Roy's shoulders. "He's a new friend keeping me company."

"Nice to meet you, Roy."

"You too," Roy responded. Oliver felt a spark of pride that Roy didn't shrug his arm off.

"Where are those papers?" Oliver asked, stepping forward.

"They're right here sir." Oliver looked over the papers quickly, not trusting the morons who worked beneath him to have gotten the details right. He did a quick read of the paperwork, then put his signature on it. "Make sure these get to the right managers," he said, sliding them to Cahill. "Or you'll be looking for a new job."

"Of course Mr. Queen," Cahill said nervously.

"This factory shouldn't have required me to take weeks out of my very busy schedule, you know, running the entire company, in order for it to get off the ground."

"Yes, Mr. Queen. I'll make sure everything else goes smoothly and on schedule."

Oliver took a deep breath, resting the urge to smash the man's head into the desk. "Its. Already. Behind. Schedule. Just. Get. It. Done."

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir."

Oliver glanced around and saw Roy staring out the window. "Roy," he said. Roy turned around. "Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Where are you two off to today?" Mr. Cahill asked as he locked the papers in a file cabinet.

"Well, we should probably get lunch after this. Then we'll walk around. Maybe go to the science center or the zoo."

"I think the D-backs are playing tonight."

"We're going tonight. Right, Roy?" Roy nodded.

"Good. Here." He took out his wallet and handed Roy a $20. "Get yourself a souvenir."

"Thanks!"

Oliver smiled. "Come on Roy." He guided the boy out of the office and back towards the elevator.

"That was really nice of him."

"He's just trying to make nice with the kid hanging out with the boss." And possibly try to save his own skin. Besides, Roy didn't need to think anyone else really cared about him. That could deter him from Oliver's influence. He put his arm around Roy again. "So, science center or zoo?"

"Zoo!"

"Zoo it is."

Oliver spent the rest of the day trying to impress Roy and make sure the kid liked him. He took him to an expensive restaurant and let Roy order whatever he wanted. Then they went to the zoo and he entertained Roy's childish whims of seeing all the animals and reading every single information plaque about them. After the zoo, they went to Chase Field and Oliver found himself pleased at Roy's amazement by the access he had. The VIP box was far nicer than anything he knew Roy had experienced.

"This is amazing!"

"Glad you like it."

They were served dinner there too and Roy bought a jersey from the souvenir stand and a hat. "For Brave Bow," he explained to Oliver's questioning look.

"Ah."

The game wasn't particularly intriguing. Oliver was never interested in sports and he was usually busy with more important things. Like eradicating filth from Star City's streets. It was late by the time the game ended, but he didn't mind. A day spent earning Roy's trust and admiration was well spent in his mind. "That was awesome!"

"Glad you had fun."

As they got into the car Roy glanced up. "Huh."

"What?"

"There aren't as many stars here."

Oliver glanced up. "It's because of the light pollution. Cities have more lights so they block out the stars."

"Oh." That was a stupid thing for him to think.

By the time they were pulling up in front of the house, Roy was still wide awake; despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. "Home sweet home," Oliver said, turning the car off.

"Thanks for today," Roy said, just able to see Oliver in the light from the porch light. "It was awesome!"

"I'm glad you had fun. Thanks for keeping me company on the long drive."

"Anytime." He got out and ran up the front steps.

Oliver smiled to himself as he drove away. "Soon," he mused. "Soon."

— —

The following Friday Oliver was in his hotel room when someone knocked on the door. He answered it to find a man in a hotel uniform.

"A package arrived for you Mr. Queen," he said, handing a small box wrapped in brown paper to the billionaire.

"Thank you," Oliver said, handing the man a generous tip. He shut the door, unable to help smiling as he unwrapped and opened the box. "One more trip," he mused as he eyed the bottle of pills. He went over to the desk and opened the bottle. "One more trip, just to make sure I've really got him." He tipped the pills out on to the desk and spread them out so they weren't in piles. "And if I do…" He grabbed a rock he'd picked up the previous day and brought it down on the first pill, crushing it into powder. "Then I'll make sure he's the rest of this goes smoothly." He smiled as he crushed another pill. "After this weekend I'll own him."

Later that day Oliver once again made the trip down to the reservation. He had barely even knocked on the door when it opened.

"Hi, Oliver!" He let the man in without hesitation. "It's Oliver."

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Oliver said. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Brave Bow's bad today. I'm taking care of him."

"Oh. I had a very long and rough week, and I decided I needed some fresh air. I was looking to go camping this weekend since it's my last weekend down here. Roy told me you guys go camping a lot and I was wondering if you knew of some good places."

"…..yeah….we…know some," Brave Bow managed.

"You been camping before?" Roy asked him.

"Of course I have. If you count my crazy year-long island vacation as camping."

Roy smirked. "I don't think so."

'Arrogant little shit..' Oliver bit back his annoyance. "You know any good places or not?"

"Yeah, but they're more for experienced campers not city folk like you."

"Experienced like you?" Roy shrugged. "Come with me then."

Roy frowned. "Really?"

"Well, I obviously need an experienced hand or I could die out there. How about it? We can go for the weekend and I'll have you back here on Sunday in time for school."

"I….think its a….great idea," Brave Bow said, trying to sit up.

"Lay down," Roy told him. "Really?"

"Of course. You love camping. You go, show Oliver how a pro does it."

"You need me here."

"I'll be fine. I have friends who can check on me."

"Well….ok."

"Take some of our stuff."

"Sure. Come out back." Roy led Oliver to the backyard. Against the back of the house was a metal shed. Roy slid the door open, wincing as the heat hit his face. "Let's see."

"This should be fun," Oliver said as Roy unloaded the stuff from the shed.

"Oh yeah. There's a great place an hour from here."

"Good." Roy helped Oliver get the camping stuff into his car. "You sure about this? No offense Oliver, but you seem a little too….preppy to go camping."

"…..I think I might surprise you." Oliver looked at him. "I have to grab some things, but I'll pick you up in a few hours."

"Ok. See you in a few." Oliver got food and other supplies for the trip. He made sure the bag of crushed pills was well hidden in his car so Roy wouldn't find it. Not that Oliver really thought he was, considering how gullible and stupid the kid was. Oliver had been able to win him over in a matter of a few weeks after all. When he went back to get Roy, he hadn't even made it to the door when Roy opened it. "Hi, Oliver!"

"Hi, Roy. Ready?"

"One sec!" Roy ran back and gave Brave Bow a hug. "You'll be ok?"

"I am….perfectly capable of…handling myself. Have fun."

Roy ran out of the house and threw his bag into the car; then quickly followed it. "Let's go!"

"Tell me where to go."

Oliver was proud of the way he pretended to be so terrible at camping. He acted stupidly when asked to do the simple task of smoothing out the campground. He pretended to be useless when trying to set up a tent, so he was demoted to gather rocks for a fire pit. Oliver managed to get all the rocks without hurting himself; a fact that Roy didn't fail to tell him, and Oliver had to once again remind himself smacking Roy wouldn't win the kid over. He was so close, he had to keep it together. It was almost dark by the time they finished, so they cooked hot dogs over the fire and Roy gave him a lesson in constellations.

"Are you sure that's what they're called?" Oliver asked him.

Roy scoffed. "Are you questioning me?"

"And if I am?"

Roy sighed. "Yes, I'm sure."

"You can shoot, camp, hike, read the stars. Anything you can't do?"

"Not really."

Day Two consisted of hiking on nearby trails and Oliver "accidentally" grabbing a cactus. In truth, he'd felt much worse pain in his life and it further solidified Roy's view of him as a stupid, yet harmless businessman. After Roy was done laughing he helped get the spines out of the billionaire's hand. At one point he took a drink from his canteen and Oliver smiled. Finally using his skills, he slipped away and hid behind a ridge he'd found a few yards back. Within minutes he could hear Roy calling for him. "Oliver? Oliver! Oliver!" The increasing panic in the kid's voice made Oliver smile.

'Yes,' he thought. 'Roy's attached enough to get worried about me.' He saw nothing wrong with making the kid sweat a little, just so see how far he could push this.

"Oliver! Oliver!" As Roy moved down the path Oliver followed him, always keep a distance and stay hidden. After 15 minutes he deiced Roy had more than proven his loyalty to his new friend. "Oliver!"

"Roy!" he called back.

"Oliver!"

"Roy!" Only a few seconds later Roy appeared over a small peak. "Roy!" Oliver put his hands on Roy's shoulders. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What? I-I've been looking for you!"

"Me? You're the one who left the path."

"What? No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did! I turned around and you were gone!" Roy blinked. "You really scared me, kid."

"I-I'm sorry. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." Oliver could've jumped for joy. Not only had Roy proven his loyalty, but he was so stupid Oliver had been able to change reality itself and convince the kid of something that hadn't happened. 'He's definitely ready.'

"It's ok." Oliver pat him on the back. "Come on, let's head back to camp."

"Ok." They made more food by the fire for dinner and even s'mores. Oliver pretended he was bad at making those too and purposefully made his marshmallows catch on fire. By the time Oliver was dropping him off back home Roy was slightly sunburnt, but all smiles.

"I'll go put the gear away." Oliver helped him get it into the backyard, then went back inside. "Your son is home safe and sound."

Brave Bow smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Would you like some water? It's pretty hot out today."

"Yes…thank you…"

Oliver went over to the kitchen and pulled a water bottle out of the fridge. He opened it and stealthily slipped the bag of power out of his pocket. He carefully poured half the bag into the bottle, then put the cap back on and shook it. He waited until all the powder and dissolved before adding more. He then gave the bottle to Roy's father. "Here you go." Brave Bow took several large sips, clearly thirsty. Before Oliver could go, the old man grabbed his wrist.

"I want to thank you….for what you've done for Roy… It's been so hard on him lately…. I worry….about what will happen to him when I'm gone… If he'll be taken care of…."

"I'm sure whoever takes Roy in will make sure he's well taken care of."

"I hope so… Thank you though….for keeping him company… Showing him a…good time…"

"Believe me, it was my pleasure." Brave Bow released him and Oliver stepped back. 'Stupid, old man. I'll make sure Roy reaches his full potential. You can count on that.'

Roy rejoined them. "Thanks for the weekend," he said.

"It was fun for me too." Oliver looked at his watch. "I should go."

"I'll walk you out." Roy followed Oliver back to his car and stood next to it. "You're going home soon?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, the building didn't burn down while I was gone. Here." He got something out of the glove compartment and handed it to Roy.

"A business card?"

"If you need anything, anything at all, call me."

"Ok. Bye, Oliver."

"Bye, Roy."

As Oliver drove he smiled. "Now we wait."

— —

The next morning, Oliver was nervous. He worried something had gone wrong like maybe he'd gotten the dosage wrong. Or that Roy would lose his card. He paced a little bit, trying to stay calm as hours passed and noon approached. "Come on, come on, come on," he muttered. "All of this hard work can't be for nothing. Come on." Finally, just after noon, his phone rang. "Hello?" Oliver answered. The person on the other line didn't say anything. "Hello?"

"O-Oliver?"

"Roy? What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Brave Bow's dead."

'It worked,' Oliver thought proudly. 'My plan really worked.' He fought to keep the smile off his face. "Where are you?"

"Um…" There was a momentary pause. "DHS. Flagstaff." Still so perfect.

"Hang tight, I'll be right there."

"Ok." Oliver hung up and smiled widely.

"It got him. Hook, line, and sinker." Oliver went straight down to DHS to collect his prize. He walked inside, flashing his best smile.

"Can I help you?" a man asked.

"I was wondering if I could talk to someone about taking in an orphaned kid. Roy Harper."

"You're…You're Oliver Queen."

"Yes, I am."

"…wait right here sir."

Oliver waited somewhat impatiently as the man left. Only a couple of minutes later Roy came into view. "Oliver!" He ran to the man and Oliver knelt down to meet him, putting his hands on Roy's shoulders.

"I got here as fast as I could," Oliver said.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know him?" a man asked, looking at Oliver suspiciously.

Oliver stood up, putting his hands on Roy's shoulders. "I'm a friend."

Roy nodded. "He is!" the kid insisted. "We-we go camping together and hiking and he shoots with me and we even went to Phoenix last week!"

"You did?" the man asked.

Roy nodded again. "Oliver cares about me a lot. He's a really good friend." That made Oliver squeeze the boy's shoulders in pride.

'Good Roy.' Oliver looked at the man. "Can we have a minute?"

"Um….yeah…You can use my office." Carlos led them back to his office with Oliver's hands never leaving Roy's shoulders. Once they were there, he shut the door as Roy sat down. Oliver crouched down in front of him.

"You ok?" Oliver asked.

"I-I don't know…"

"Listen…I have a secret to tell you." This was probably the biggest risk of all. Trusting Roy with his secret identity.

"What?"

Oliver looked around, then leaned in close to whisper in Roy's ear, "I'm the Green Arrow."

"Really?"

"Really." Oliver put his hands on Roy's shoulders. "Believe me." There was a moment of silence from Roy as he thought over the reveal.

"Ok."

"You believe me?"

"I do."

"Good. Roy, you have an amazing talent with archery. Like nothing I've ever seen."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was wondering…if you want…do you want to come back to Star City with me? Do you want to help me protect it from terrible people?" Roy stared at him. "I know this is a lot to take in, but like I've said: I see a lot of me in you, Roy. I know you want to help people like I do." Roy nodded. "You can honor Brave Bow's memory by using the skills he taught you for good. So, what do you say? You in?"

Roy swallowed. Slowly, he put his hand on Oliver's shoulder and nodded. "I'm in."

Oliver smiled. 'I thought as much.'


	39. The Videos pt3

"Your turn!" Dick smiled.

"Are you sure we shouldn't be doing something more…productive?" Roy asked as he searched his cards.

"Yes. You heard Alfred. You've been working too hard the past month."

"Not hard enough if I'm not ready yet."

"You can't rush it." Dick took a sip of his drink. "You've been doing really good, I promise."

"Sure." Dick was about to put his drink back down when he stopped. He smiled mischievously and threw the rest of his drink on Roy. "Dude!"

Dick cackled. "What? It's just water."

"Yeah, but now I'm soaked!" Roy got up and peeled off his now soaking shirt. Dick laughed again, only for the laugh to get caught in his throat. Roy was standing with his back to Dick, giving him, for the first time, a good look at his back. Dick's face slowly formed a frown. He hopped off the bed and reached out.

"How did you get those?" he whispered, putting a finger on one of the scars. Roy suddenly spun around and quickly pulled his new shirt on.

"Nowhere."

"Did-did Oliver give those to you?"

"I told you nowhere."

"Roy, you can tell me."

"Just leave it alone Dick."

Dick tried to think of anything Roy could've told him that would explain the scars, but he was having a hard time. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Roy hadn't told him anything really. He'd never heard a story about Oliver hurting Roy. "Ok…"

"Are we going back to the game?"

"Um…I just remembered I have to…do something with my belt."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Better get it done before patrol. We'll finish the game later."

"Ok…"

Dick left Roy's room and ran to the Bat Cave. 'How can I not know what happened to Roy?!' He made a beeline for the Bat-computer, making quick work of hacking the passwords. 'Bruce is going to need to update those.' It was pretty easy to find Roy's file. Inside was a bunch of pictures, a report. and videos. 'The cameras!' Dick clicked on the first video. His eyes never left the screen as he watched. At first, it wasn't so bad. Then Oliver started hitting Roy with his belt and Dick's stomach went cold. "No…No stop….stop hurting him!" Unfortunately, the video was unreceptive to his pleas and Oliver continued to hurt Roy. Finally, it stopped and Dick swallowed. He carefully clicked on the next video. This turned out to be a bad idea, as this video was even worse than the first. Dick forced himself to watch the whole thing though, even when Oliver was beating Roy with a metal stick. In a flash, Dick bolted out of the seat and back upstairs. He ran straight to Roy's bedroom, catching the teen just as he was leaving it.

"Whoa! Dick, what's wrong?" Roy asked as his young friend buried his face in the teen's chest.

"He was hurting you!" Dick sobbed. "He was hurting you and he didn't stop!"

"What- Dick what're you talking about?"

"I-I saw the videos… Oliver was hurting you and-"

"Videos?" Roy put his hands on Dick's shoulders and slowly pushed the boy away from himself. "What'd you mean videos?"

Dick blinked. "Huh?" Clearly, he was too upset to answer. Luckily, Bruce was walking down the hall towards them. Suspicion clawing at Roy's mind, he left Dick and strode down the hall.

"What videos is Dick talking about?" he asked.

Bruce froze. "What?"

"Dick said he 'saw the videos'. What videos?"

Bruce blinked. 'Oh shit…' He tried to think of a plausible answer. "Well…"

"He said he saw Oliver hurting me…" Roy's voice was starting to shake a little bit. "Bruce, what is he talking about?"

Bruce swallowed. "Roy, you have to understand, I was just trying to get an idea of what was going on-"

"What is he talking about?"

"Do you remember when Dick and I came to Star?"

"Yes."

"The real reason for our visit was we…bugged Oliver's house. I managed to install a hidden camera in his office."

Roy blinked in confusion. "You….You put a camera in his office?"

"Yes."

"Then….you….saw what happened?" Something hot started burning in Roy's stomach.

"Some of it."

Roy's hands balled into fists. "And you just…sat there? You just sat there and watched while he beat me?!"

"No, no, Roy it wasn't like that. We just…we needed to know what was going on for sure and we wanted proof…"

A thought suddenly popped into Roy's mind. Something that had never really occurred to him, but really should've. "How long?" he asked quietly.

"What?"

"How long did you know about what Oliver was doing to me?"

Bruce swallowed. This wasn't good. "Roy-"

"How long?"

"Since 2 months after you debuted as Speedy."

"So….almost 2 years?"

"Yes…"

Roy frowned. "You knew? You knew for almost the entire time he was hurting me and you did nothing?"

"I can explain-" Bruce reached out, but Roy stepped back.

"You left me there…"

"Roy-"

Roy backed up another step when Bruce reached for him again. "You knew he was hurting me and you just left me there…"

"Roy-"

"I thought I could trust you."

Bruce froze. No. No, this couldn't be happening. He couldn't be losing Roy's trust when he was just starting to gain it. He swallowed. "You can trust me- Roy, let me explain-"

"You left me there! You left me there, how could you?!"

"Roy-"

Roy ran to his bedroom, brushing past a still upset Dick. "Roy!" Dick snagged the teen's arm.

"You knew too, didn't you?" Roy asked.

"Know what?"

Roy jerked his arm free. "You knew about the videos." Dick had known this whole time that Bruce had just sat back and watched Oliver hurt him. Roy shut his bedroom door and, for the first time since coming to live in Gotham 6 months ago, locked it. He stepped back, staring at the door like it was dangerous. After a minute he realized that he was shaking. His mind was going in 10 different directions at once. He couldn't keep his mind focused on one thought. His breathing was erratic and he could practically feel his heartbeat. Not knowing what else to do, Roy crawled under his bed. At some point Dick had put a blanket under there for him because of how many times he hid under there, so he wrapped it around himself. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. "In…. Out… In…. Out…."

— —

"Is Master Roy joining us for dinner?" Alfred asked Bruce.

Bruce swallowed. "You should get him, Alfred, he's….upset with me at the moment."

"Me too," Dick said glumly.

"What happened?" Alfred asked.

"Roy found out about the videos," Bruce answered quietly.

"Ah."

"He also found out how long I knew what was Oliver was doing to him; and how I did nothing to help him."

"I see. I shall go get Master Roy then."

"Bruce, is Roy going to hate us forever?" Dick asked Bruce, a hint of fear in his voice.

"He won't hate you, Dick," Bruce told him. At least, Bruce hoped so. Alfred returned with Roy, who walked several steps behind him. The teen didn't look at or even acknowledge Bruce or Dick as he sat down. Dinner was strangely quiet and tense. Bruce didn't attempt to make conversation with Roy, figuring the teen wouldn't respond always. What really surprised him was that Dick didn't try either. He just ate his dinner quietly. When Roy finished he gave his plate to Alfred and silently went back to his room. Once he was gone Bruce sighed and pushed his plate away.

"You've hardly touched your food sir," Alfred observed.

"I'm not hungry Alfred." He stood up. "Dick we'll leave for patrol soon."

"Ok," Dick mumbled.

Bruce went down to the Bat cave, completely aware of the fact that Alfred was following him. "Can you keep an eye on Roy tonight?"

"Of course sir," Alfred answered. "Don't you think you should go talk to Master Roy?"

"He doesn't want to talk to me."

"Have you tried?"

"….No. He doesn't want to talk to me."

"Sir-"

"He hates me Alfred and he has every right to."

"Sir-"

"I left him there. I knew he was in danger from Oliver and I left him there for two years. He hates me and I don't blame him."

"He will forgive you, sir."

"No, he won't, and I don't deserve for him too."

Alfred left him go down to the Bat cave alone, deciding it was better to go check on Roy. He made his way upstairs to knock on the teen's door. "Master Roy, may I come in sir?" There was a brief moment of silence before a quiet shuffling could be heard on the other side. The door unlocked and it creaked open a crack. "I am alone sir, Master Bruce is downstairs and Master Dick is still finishing his dinner." Roy still didn't say anything but did open the door wider for Alfred to come inside. "Thank you, sir."

Roy sat down on the edge of his bed. "Did you know too?"

"Did I know your situation two years ago? No."

"Really?"

"I assure you, sir, Master Bruce didn't tell either myself or Master Dick about you. We didn't find out until several months ago when the League decided to act."

"Dick knew about the videos though."

"Yes, he did."

The videos didn't bother Roy as much. Yes, he was mad that Bruce had seen how bad the abuse was and still done nothing for weeks, he was angrier that Bruce had known he was being abused for two years and didn't do anything to help. "I'm still mad at him too."

"Master Roy, given what you've been through, you have every right to be mad. However, I simply want to remind you that Master Bruce and Master Dick only want you to be happy and safe."

"If Bruce wanted me to be safe he should've saved me from Oliver two years ago." Alfred didn't really have a response to that. "Dick might not have known about the abuse, but he knew those videos existed and still kept it from me."

"For which, I am sure, he is very sorry. As is Master Bruce."

Roy looked away. "Sorry won't give me back the last two years of my life."

Alfred gave him a sympathetic look. He knew Roy's anger went much deeper than just being mad at Bruce. "I know." He put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Nothing can Master Roy and you must accept that. What happened has happened. You cannot change it. You can only accept it and move on."

"How can I accept it when the person who's supposed to help me betrayed me?"

"I don't know Master Roy, but I'm confident that you'll find a way." There was a tentative knock on the door.

"Roy," Dick said. "We're leaving for patrol now. Make sure you sleep, ok?" Roy didn't reply. "Ok?"

Roy sighed. He hated the disappointed sound in Dick's voice. 'No, I'm mad at him.' The thought made his stomach twist. "Is it ok to be mad?"

"Of course it is sir."

"Is it ok to be mad at Dick?"

Alfred considered it. "I won't tell you what to feel."

"I don't….I don't want to be like Oliver."

"You are nothing like him."

"He was always mad."

"Being mad isn't necessarily a bad thing sir. It's when you become consumed by anger and take it out on people weaker than yourself that it becomes bad."

"I would never do that!"

"I know."

Roy was quiet for a few minutes. "I'm still mad at Dick."

"That's ok."

Meanwhile, the patrol was miserable. Dick was quiet and sullen the entire time, and a little bit more aggressive than he usually was. Not that Bruce blamed him. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't throwing criminals into walls a little harder than normal. Luckily taking down criminals gave Batman something to focus on besides his own failures. By the time he and Robin returned home though, neither of their moods had improved. Robin didn't even flip out of the Bat mobile. He just climbed out and slunk off to change out of his suit.

"Master Dick is taking this hard," Alfred observed.

"How's Roy?" Bruce asked, pulling off the cowl.

"He's in his room."

"Sleeping?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"He probably isn't. He's terrified to sleep." The thought tightened his chest a little bit. 'Not that I've been much help.' He took his time getting change out of his suit, Dick going upstairs at some point. He let his feet drag and tripled checked the bat mobile and the bat computer. Eventually, though, he ran out of things to do downstairs and he was forced to go upstairs. When he reached the third floor he found Dick sitting outside Roy's bedroom.

"The door is still locked," Dick mumbled miserably. Someone, probably Alfred, had placed a blanket over his shoulders. Bruce didn't really know how to tell his younger ward the door would probably stay locked for a while.

"You should get some sleep."

"No." Dick crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'm not leaving."

"He's not going to open the door, Dick."

"I'm still not leaving. Roy is my friend. I can't abandon him."

'At least one of won't turn our backs on him.' Bruce didn't even consider checking on Roy. He didn't know if the teen was asleep, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer if he tried to talk to him. "Make sure you get some rest."

"I will."

"You're just going to sleep in the hall?"

"I told you, I'm not leaving. When Roy needs me, I'll be here."

Bruce nodded. "Ok."

The rest of the night was relatively peaceful. Roy didn't have a nightmare, but that was mostly due to the fact that he didn't sleep. When he opened his door the next morning though, he was only mildly surprised. Dick was curled up on the floor directly outside his room. Roy sighed and gently scooped the boy up. Dick stirred a little but didn't wake up. Roy brought his young friend into his own room, grateful Dick was still so small, and he set him down on the bed. He made sure Dick was covered before slipping out silently. He glanced back at the boy.

'I can't really stay mad at him.' Not only because Dick was his only friend, but when considering what Alfred had said, and he'd spent a lot of time thinking about it that night, he'd decided that Dick wasn't to blame. He never knew what had been happening like Bruce did and judging by how he'd reacted he'd never watched the videos. 'He's just a kid,' Roy thought as he went downstairs. 'I shouldn't be mad at him.' Bruce though…Roy clenched his fists. 'He left me there,' Roy reminded himself, sadness and anger burning in his chest. 'He left me there.'

— —

A few days later Bruce was working in his study when the door opened. "Roy," he said in surprise when he saw the redhead hovering in the doorway. He wasn't expecting Roy to come into his study considering that the teen had spent the last few days completely ignoring and avoiding him. He swallowed. "Can I help you with something?" Roy was clearly uncomfortable but came forward all the same.

"I wanted to know why," Roy said quietly.

"Why?"

"Why did you leave me there?"

Bruce swallowed. "Roy-"

"Why did you leave me in Star?" This time he asked with more confidence and anger.

"I had…many reasons…" The look on Roy's face was like a stab in the heart.

"What were the reasons?"

Bruce sighed. "I…I didn't know how bad it was."

"So…if Oliver just….slapped or punched me once in a while instead of beating me then it would've been ok?"

"No! Definitely not!" Roy just stared at him expectantly. "I just…As I got busy with Robin and Gotham I guess I didn't…think about what was happening in Star. Or to you," he added quieter.

"So you didn't really care about my safety. You just…helped me when it was convenient for you."

"No, I care about your safety, Roy. I really do."

"Then why did you leave me there?!"

Bruce swallowed. Part of him was trying to find in the fact that Roy was comfortable enough to yell and talk back to him, or just angry enough. "I know you want an explanation and you deserve one. Unfortunately, I don't have one for you. There is no good explanation for what I did."

"No! There has to be! You wouldn't have left me with Oliver, knowing he was abusing me, without a good explanation! You have to have one!"

"I don't! I'm sorry I don't have one!" Roy shook his head. "Roy, I'm sorry I left you there. I shouldn't have turned a blind eye when I knew Oliver was hurting you."

Roy wrapped his arms around himself, but he still looked angry. "You left me there."

"I know." Bruce also knew there was nothing he could do to make this better. He couldn't see how Roy could ever forgive him. For some reason though, this seemed to make Roy even angrier.

"No! You don't know! You have no idea what those two years were like for me! Why should you know though?! You don't even care!"

"I do care-"

"If you really cared you wouldn't have left me there! You and the Justice League, you guys don't care about me! You only helped me because you felt guilty!"

"Roy-" Bruce didn't know what else to say. Nothing really seemed appropriate. "I'm sorry."

Roy shook his head. "I wish I could believe you." He left the room while Bruce sighed.

"Me too kid. Me too." He ran his fingers through his hair. This was all messed up. 'Barry told me he needed to be able to trust me.' Bruce was glad Roy at least seemed to have forgiven Dick and hadn't lost his trust in the young boy. 'He needs to be able to trust someone.' The last thing he wanted was for Roy to feel like he couldn't trust anyone. 'I'm a terrible person.'

— —

It was a true testament to how well Superman knew Batman that he could tell something was bothering the Dark Knight. "Shouldn't you be going back to Gotham?" he asked after the meeting.

"I am," Batman said.

"You're normally gone by now," Wonder Woman pointed out. The meeting had been over for 5 minutes and he was still there.

"Yeah," Flash agreed. "You leave as soon as the meeting is over."

"I don't answer to you," Batman growled.

"Is something wrong?" Superman asked, getting slightly concerned. "You were kind of quiet tonight. Even for you."

Batman knew he could just leave, but that would probably just cause one of the Leaguers to follow him back. "Roy hates us." They all stared at him in confusion. "Specifically me."

"Why?"

"He found out I knew Oliver was abusing him two years ago and didn't do anything about it." There was a tense silence.

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you-"

"Why not?" Flash asked. "If I were Roy I'd hate Batman. I'd hate the whole Justice League!"

"Roy will….probably forgive you- Superman began, but Batman interrupted him.

"Why should he?" No one said anything. "I knew Star City wasn't a safe place for him. I knew he was being abused, but I left him there."

"You're the reason he's safe now-"

"After Oliver spent two years beating him, starving him, locking him in small spaces, and destroying his self-esteem!" Everyone was silent. "Roy believes he's a killer! He's 14 and he holds himself responsible for all the people Oliver killed! He's safe now, but he wasn't safe for 2 years! Roy has every right to hate me!"

"None of us made any moves to help him either," Aquaman pointed out.

"You all didn't know."

"You made a bad call," Green Lantern said. "It's that simple."

"It doesn't matter," Batman said standing. "Roy hates me now and he has every right to." He left the meeting before anyone else could say something. Two seconds later he sighed. "Go away, Clark."

"How'd you know it was me?" Clark asked.

"I always know. Now go away."

"Roy's going to forgive you." Superman flew beside his friend.

"No, he won't."

"Yes, he will."

"Why should he?"

"You told me yourself that you had a suspicion. That's it. You didn't know-"

"I should've."

"Roy needs to know the difference, Bruce. It's not the same thing!"

"It might as well be! I know Oliver Queen is a terrible person. That charitable billionaire persona doesn't hide the fact that he kills people at night as Green Arrow! When the news was talking about him taking in Roy, I should've known! I should've guessed!"

"Bruce, you aren't psychic! You didn't have the evidence to support the fact that Roy was being abused back then. We didn't even have solid evidence other than your deductions until 6 months ago!"

"If I'm the World's Greatest Detective, then I should've known! If I'm half as good as I should be, I should've been able to figure it out! I should've been obvious to me!"

"So you're still a little optimistic about humanity, that's not a crime!"

"Go away, Clark. I have a patrol to get to." Superman put his hand on Batman's shoulder. "Move your hand or it will be removed."

"Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

"…..You did your best…"

"No. I didn't." He shrugged the Man of Steel's hand off and stepped through the zeta tube; seeking to get away from the Kryptonian's annoying optimism. When he stepped out into Gotham he couldn't shake the feeling of failure. 'It doesn't matter what I could and couldn't prove back then,' he decided as he walked to the Bat mobile. It didn't matter that all he'd had two years ago was a few bruises and a suspicion. He'd been the one keeping an eye on Green Arrow. Batman swallowed as he drove towards the Bat Cave. In two years he'd only thought of Roy when he'd initially gone to live with Oliver and just a couple of months before they started this. In two years, he'd only thought about Roy's safety twice. The self-loathing made this skin crawl. It was impossible to remember why any of his justifications had mattered. When he tried to remember he could only think about how at that moment Roy was probably sitting up trying to avoid sleeping because of his nightmares.

'I'll do the best I can.' If only he'd thought of that before.

He picked up Robin in the Bat cave and had a very productive patrol. Several muggers and a couple of bank robbers had a few broken bones, but no one that didn't deserve them. By the time he got home Robin was in a surprisingly good mood, probably because he was off the hook with Roy, but Batman was still upset. Like he had been the past few days, he took his time going upstairs. He made sure the Bat mobile was fueled, updated and finished case files on the Bat-computer, and finally, after 2 hours, changed out of his Bat suit. Deep down he knew it was pointless, but he just wanted a little bit of time to avoid being near Roy. When he got upstairs he stopped briefly by Roy's bedroom. A quick twist of the doorknob told him that it was unlocked, but he didn't go in. He knew Roy was probably awake on the other side, but his presence wasn't going to make it any better. So he went to bed before he could mess the situation up again.


	40. Bruce Is Trying (Again)

A/N: What is this, another update! Since it's Christmas Eve, I decided I'd post two chapters today. So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

It kind of surprised Bruce that Roy still chose to continue his training. He would've thought that the teen would give up on his vigilante endeavors, considering how little trust he now had in him. Yet, every morning Roy would practice his archery, spar with Dick in the gym, study maps of the city (with Dick quizzing him), as well as former cases, and attempting to build his prototype arrows. Originally Bruce was trying to avoid Roy, even when he was in the Bat Cave. Roy would work on his arrows, he seemed to be coming up with new ways to fix them in his solitude, and Bruce left him alone, simply hovering just in case Roy electrocuted himself. After a couple of days though, he began to notice Roy was struggling. He obviously didn't know how to do it all by himself, but Bruce was hesitant to offer his help. After several instances of Roy sighing in frustration he finally decided he needed to step in.

"Do you need help?" Bruce asked. Roy jumped a little. Obviously, he hadn't known Bruce was staining right behind him.

"I'm just…I'm fine."

Bruce examined the arrow. "The flash grenade arrow?"

"Yeah."

"It looks good. A few tweaks and you should have a working prototype."

"It's just….not working."

"What isn't?"

"Any of it."

"Can I see it?" Roy hesitated for a moment before he slid over. Bruce sat next to him and examined the arrowhead. "Try it like this." He carefully began re-wiring the arrow. He waited for Roy to ask what he was doing or for clarification, but he just sat silently. His eyes did follow Bruce's every movement. Noting which wire was connected where.

"Where can I test them?"

"There are some deeper sections of the cave we don't use. I think one of them is big enough for you to test your arrows." Now that he thought about it, it'd make a good indoor range for Roy as well. The weather in Gotham wasn't always conducive to outdoor activities. Roy would need a place to practice his archery inside. There was a tense silence as Bruce continued to work with Roy watching. It wasn't a lot, but Roy could stand to be near Bruce, so on some level, it was a little better.

"Can-can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." It was quiet for a minute.

"….I just…Why did you come for me?" Bruce frowned. "Why did you finally try to get me away from Oliver?"

"When I watched you and Oliver on the streets. I finally saw how many bruises you had. Considering you never went to school or were barely seen in public, I thought maybe it was because of criminals. But even when you weren't out for a couple of days, you'd still be hurt. I deduced the only person who could be responsible, was Oliver."

"Oh…What-what did you know before? You know…two years ago?"

"I saw that you had a couple….suspicious bruises. They weren't as noticeable or as incriminating as the ones two years later though. Just…a little inconsistent."

"Huh…" Roy was quiet after that and Bruce didn't try to talk to him after that.

— —

Bruce leaned against the wall, eyes following the boys as they sparred. He'd subtly requested Dick suggest Roy start sparing with a bow. Since he didn't have another option Roy was using the compound bow Bruce had bought him. He moved pretty well with it. There was a flash of shock on the teen's face, but Dick was back up and attaching before Roy could do anything further. He was attempting to use his bow and Bruce had to admit he wasn't bad. He could adjust his grip to quickly throw a pumice and would swing it when needed. It defiantly needed tweaking, but he was still a natural with the thing, even when doing hand to hand combat. Bruce raised his eyebrows a little bit when Roy landed a punch on Dick's jaw. The two went back and forth for another 15 minutes before stopping.

"You're getting so good!" Dick beamed, leaning against the wall as he took a drink of water.

"Thanks," Roy replied, sounding winded. They both did. Bruce checked his watch. They'd been going for almost 40 minutes without a break! He almost smiled. Working with Roy was making Dick better too.

"You've shown a lot of improvement," Bruce said, directing his words at Roy.

"Thanks." Roy glanced away.

"I think it's time to start implementing some more advanced techniques."

"Advanced?" The hint of fear in Roy's voice didn't surprise Bruce, but the slight curiosity did. Improvements every day.

"I've been designing a special fighting technique that incorporates your archery. It's similar to who Dick fights incorporates his acrobatics."

"Sounds…exciting." Roy stood up. "Can-can we start now?"

Bruce nodded, stepping on to the mat himself. "Of course."

The next few hours were spent with Bruce refining Roy's fighting. He was good, no doubt. He'd spent the last few months working hard and he'd made incredible progress. He wasn't perfect, nor was he the best, but he was good enough Bruce was starting to think he could hold his own on the streets. True to his previous work, Roy gave it his all with his new skills. Even if it was hard, he kept trying and trying. Eventually, Alfred made them eat and he went off to do other things. School work, studying cases, studying maps, and working on his arrows. It never ceased to amaze Bruce how much dedication Roy had to this. By the time he and Dick left to patrol Roy was taking some mandatory relax time that had been instituted by Alfred. After that, he once again decided to forgo sleep and went back down to the gym. He kept working on his new way of fighting until Alfred came to see him.

"Master Roy, don't you think it's time you want to bed sir?" he asked.

"Do I have to?" Roy asked cautiously.

"You should."

"I'm not tired."

"Did you sleep last night sir?"

Roy shifted uneasily. "Maybe….A couple of hours."

"A few hours is better than none sir."

Roy sighed. "Fine." He let Alfred led him back up to his room. 'Maybe I can sit quietly instead of going to bed.'

The following morning was the day to test the trick arrows. Roy grabbed a bow from his room and followed Bruce to the back of the bat cave. "There's smaller cave's off this way," Bruce explained as they walked. "There's a deep one that's perfect for this."

"You think your arrows will work?!" Dick asked Roy excitedly.

"Uh…I hope so," Roy responded. He held the prototypes in his hand carefully. 'What if they don't work?' he thought worriedly. 'What will Bruce do then?' He was actually starting to hate the anxious feeling that could suddenly pop up in his brain, but he had no way to stop it. So he just lived with it. They reached the cave and Roy blinked. The ceiling was about as high as it was in the main cave, but this smaller cave was more of an oval shape. On the far side of the room was a couple of human targets and a regular one. "Those-those are fake, right?"

"Of course."

"Let's see what those arrows can do," Bruce said, stepping back.

Roy nodded and handed all but one of the arrows to Dick. He nocked it to his bow and fired. The arrow hit the first human target and Roy could see the electrical buzz that went through it. "Looks like it worked."

"Looks like it. Next up?"

"Flash grenade arrow." Dick held the arrow out with their fletchings facing Roy. His finger skimmed them for a second before he pulled out the correct one and nocked it. He fired the arrow at the ground. They all looked away or shielded their eyes from the small explosion. Luckily it didn't bring the cave down on them.

"I think it worked," Dick smiled. "The criminals will never see that coming."

"Glue arrow is last?" Bruce asked as Dick handed the final arrow to Roy.

"Yes," Roy nodded. He nocked the arrow to his bowstring and fired. It hit the ground and a fast-acting glue spread out. Roy walked over to the targets to get a better look at the damage. The glue had already dried by the time he reached it. A few quick taps confirmed that it was rock hard. No one short of Superman would be breaking out of it. The damage caused by the flash grenade arrow was minimal. Scorch marks on the ground, but nothing more. The taser arrow didn't cause any damage to the dummy it hit. It'd be unpleasant for anyone on the wrong end, but definitely not life-threatening. He collected the arrows and returned to Bruce and Dick. "They work."

"That's good."

"It's awesome!" Dick cheered.

"Thanks," Roy mumbled.

"All we need to do now is make more. Lot's more," Bruce said.

Roy nodded. "Ok." He started heading back to the main cave. Dick frowned at Bruce and nudged him.

"What?" Dick titled his head at Roy, then nudged Bruce again; harder this time. "Oh…Roy!"

"Yeah?" Roy asked, looking back.

"You um….you did a good job. Good job with the…arrows."

"Uh…thanks, Bruce." Roy kept walking and Dick gave Bruce a smile.

"Was that so hard?" he asked.

Bruce didn't answer and just walked away.

— —

The next couple of weeks Bruce started to notice Roy looked tired. He looked really tired. When he was studying maps his eyes would start to droop or his head would nod. Sometimes his reactions during sparring would be a little slow. His punches would get sloppy and needed more correcting. Such as today.

"Stop," Bruce told the boys. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"What'd you mean?" Roy asked.

"You're acting weird," Dick said. "Your balance is all off and you can't focus."

"How long did you sleep last night?" Bruce asked him.

"Um…." Roy looked down. "I-I didn't."

Bruce sighed. "Roy-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I just can't."

"Roy not sleeping is affecting you."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"I can't sleep."

Bruce sighed. "Go take a nap."

"I'm fine."

"Roy. Go take a nap. Now."

"Yes, Bruce." Roy let the gym, letting his feet drag all the way to his room; knowing the nightmares that awaited him when he closed his eyes.

— —

Unfortunately, mandatory naps didn't help Roy much either. He always looked too pale, except for the skin under his eyes, which were getting darker. It was startling, but Bruce didn't know what else to do. Over the course of a week, Roy would have a nightmare every night. Some nights he woke up screaming, refusing to go back to sleep, others he woke up, stayed up for a couple of hours, and went back to bed. Everyone tried help, but they were at a loss for what to do. So they developed a system. Alfred would make sure Roy went to bed, Bruce and Dick would check on him when they got home. If Roy refused to go back to sleep he could stay up as long as he had gotten at least 4 hours of sleep and took a nap during the day. The didn't stop Roy from trying to stay up though.

At first, he would just pretend to sleep when someone came to check on him, but Alfred and Bruce always knew when he was faking it. Despite everyone's best efforts, Roy's sleeping habits didn't improve. It was really weird in a way. When he'd lived with Oliver, Roy had been used to getting by with just enough. Just enough food. Just enough safety. In Gotham though, with Bruce, he always had more than enough. Now though, he only had just enough sleep. Which was weird, because, despite the constant abuse, nightmares had never really been a problem in Star. Now though, the nightmares were always present. So he tried to let his training and other things distract him. Like Dick going back to school.

"There's really nothing special about 5th grade," Dick said as he pulled on his uniform. "Besides getting to be the biggest kid at the elementary school of course."

"You're going to be the biggest kid in the school?" Roy asked skeptically.

"I'll be the oldest."

"As exciting as that is, please stand still Master Dick," Alfred instructed. He stepped back, examining the sleeves. "You do need a new uniform. This one is looking a little short."

"Yes!" Dick leaped forward and did a cartwheel. "You know what that means Roy?"

"You get a new uniform?" Roy asked in confusion.

"It means I grew!"

"You're still short to me." He pulled his legs up onto the bed when Dick's foot came at them.

"We will go shopping this weekend," Alfred told Dick. "You need school supplies as well." He looked at Roy. "As do you."

"He doesn't go to school," Dick said.

"He does so, he's going here."

"It's not real school though."

"Better than yours," Roy cut in. "At least I don't have to wear a uniform." Dick stuck his tongue out at him.

"That's enough you two," Alfred said.

"Besides, I'm just doing the same thing I've been doing since I got here. Just the same catch-up I've been doing."

"Master Roy I think it wise we leave so Master Dick can change."

"Ok." Roy left the room and Dick snagged Alfred's arm before he could leave.

"You didn't tell him?" Dick asked. "Alfred, I don't think we should be keeping secrets from him."

"I'm not keeping secrets," Alfred replied evenly. "I merely thought it would be better to surprise him."

Dick grinned mischievously. "I like surprises."

Alfred gave him a small smile in return. "I know."

— —

The following night Roy was studying cases in his room. He flipped slowly through the file, reading through the murders with care. 'Gotham has some crazy people,' he thought. His door banged open, causing him to jump back and flinch at the same time. "Dick! Why did you do that?!"

"Sorry," Dick apologized.

Roy took a breath to steady his nerves. "What is it?"

"Alfred says you gotta come downstairs."

"Ok." He followed Dick downstairs, trying to resist the urge to panic. There was no reason he should worry. It was still so hard to keep himself calm though. They walked into the dining room and Roy frowned when he saw Alfred and Bruce there.

"What's going on?"

Dick grinned as he pulled him over to the table. "We're celebrating!"

"Celebrating what?"

"You got caught up on your work," Bruce said as Dick made Roy sit down. He placed several papers down in front of Roy. "You're more than proficient now."

Roy's hand shook slightly as he looked through the papers. "I passed them?"

"With flying colors sir," Alfred said.

"You're officially ready to start high school!" Dick cheered. "Kind of…"

"Uh…Thanks," Roy said, squirming under the praise.

"To celebrate…" Dick said, pausing for effect, and drummed his hands on the table in anticipation.

"Dick…" Bruce said in a warning voice.

"Ice cream!"

"Ice cream?" Roy asked. As if on cue Alfred suddenly appeared beside him and place a dish of ice cream in front of him.

"It's a banana split!" Dick explained, already happily digging into his own. "It's the best!"

Bruce wasn't sure if the shocked look on Roy's face was amusing or depressing. Possibly both. "It's ok Roy, you can eat it."

Roy moved cautiously, slowing taking a bite. "Mmm…" He couldn't remember the last time he'd had ice cream. "Thank you."

"You deserve it," Alfred told him. "You've worked very hard."

Roy kept eating, relishing the surgery treat.

— —

Summer ended and unfortunately, Dick had to return to school. For Roy though it was an exciting time. He was actually in a really good mood as Alfred sat down to go over what he'd be learning.

"Full of energy this morning Master Roy?" Alfred asked.

"I'm just….sorry."

"It's quite ok sir."

"I just…After how terribly I did the last two years with Oliver and I was so behind when I got here… I thought I'd never get caught up."

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself, Master Roy. You're very capable."

"Thanks."

"Let's get started, shall we?"

Roy nodded. "Of course."

Unfortunately, beginning the new school work meant that Roy had less time for training. He kept trying anyway, putting more of his focus on areas where he was weaker. This was also not lost on Bruce, who was always watching Roy's progress. He continued to refine the teen's fighting skills, slowly becoming more convinced he was going to be capable on the streets. Which Dick didn't fail to bring to his attention.

"When will Roy come on patrol with us?" Robin asked, double-checking to make sure this belt was secure.

"When he's ready," Batman replied evenly.

"He's been training for months."

"He'll join us when he's ready."

Robin sighed dramatically. "It's taking forever."

"He can't come until he's ready."

"I know. Do you think it'll help his nightmares?"

Batman sighed himself. "Maybe. Let's go."

"To the Bat mobile!"

— —

When they got home from patrol later that night though, Bruce had barely made it out of the grandfather clock when Dick came running up to him.

"I can't find Roy! Bruce's he's gone!" he cried.

"Dick calm down," Bruce instructed. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"I went to his room, but he wasn't there!"

"He could be somewhere else in the house. I'm sure he's fine. We'll look for him."

"Ok."

Bruce had a feeling, so he followed his gut. Relief washed over him as soon as he opened the door to the gym. Roy was practicing his fighting techniques against his punching bag. "Roy," he said, getting the teen's attention. "You should be in bed."

"I can't sleep," Roy murmured.

Bruce sighed quietly. "I know sleeping is hard, but you need to try-"

"I tried earlier."

"You did?"

Roy nodded. "I-I feel asleep a couple of hours ago."

"You had another nightmare?" Another nod. Bruce swallowed. "What was your nightmare about?"

Roy turned away and began to idly play the string of his bow. "It-it was nothing…"

Bruce frowned. "Doesn't sound like nothing."

"Really…" His voice started shaking.

"Roy you can tell me."

"It's nothing…."

"Roy." He could see Roy was starting to shake. It was silent as he waited for Roy to do or say something. After a few seconds though he released Roy was crying. He could hear the quiet sobs coming from the teen. "Roy…"

"I didn't mean it," he said shakily. "I didn't mean it- It was an accident."

"Roy, what happened in your nightmare?"

"I-I was only 12… I'd just started out as Speedy. I didn't see them, I swear. I didn't know they were there."

"Who?" Bruce wanted to get closer, but he didn't want to scare Roy off.

"The men. I don't know who they were. They snuck up on me and knocked me out."

"What happened?"

"They tied me up. They wanted to know who Green Arrow was. They just kept asking and asking. They were beating me and I could take it, but they just wouldn't stop! Eventually, they got tired and they locked in a freezer."

"A freezer?"

Roy nodded. "It was so cold. I couldn't move and I couldn't breathe. My limbs started to hurt and I couldn't think." Roy took a shaky breath, but it didn't calm him down. He said something so quietly Bruce couldn't hear him.

"What did you say?"

"I told them!" Roy snapped. "I told them Green Arrow's identity. I didn't mean to and it just kind of slipped out!"

"Roy, it's ok-"

"No! It's not!" He threw his bow on the ground. "Ollie was so mad…" His heart started beating faster. "He killed all the guys so it didn't matter that they knew, but it still happened. He yelled at me. Told me I was a traitor and weak." His breathing got faster. "He was hitting me and then he started strangling me."

"Roy breathe-"

Roy took a few quick breaths, but now that he'd started he couldn't stop. "I just kept telling him I didn't mean to, but he was so angry. Then he locked me outside."

"Outside?"

"In the rain. It was pouring. I didn't have anything to talk cover under and I got soaked-"

"It was just a dream," Bruce reassured him. "It was just a dream you're safe now-"

"No!" Roy spun around and Bruce was momentarily taken aback by how dilated his pupils were. "It wasn't a dream! It happened!"

Cold dread started to seeping into Bruce's chest. "It did?"

"6 months after I started living with him. He-he left me out there for four days… And-and It was raining the whole time-"

"Roy breathe! In…Out….In…Out…In…Out…" Bruce walked closer so he was only a couple of feet in front of Roy. He had to resist the urge to reach out and comfort the teen. "It's ok. It's ok." He very gently guided Roy to sit down against the wall. Luckily Roy was able to continue his breathing. Bruce sat next to him, making sure to keep a good distance between them. He waited while Roy calmed down a little bit. "So…Oliver…locked you out in the rain?"

Roy nodded. "For four days…" He took a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists. "It rained and it rained and it rained for four days. There was nothing to hide under so I was soaked. At first, I was just really wet. Then after two days, I went numb. I was cold."

"You didn't deserve it-"

"I did."

"No, Roy, you didn't."

"I gave away his identity."

"You were 12 and you were probably suffering from shock and hypothermia. Oliver doesn't deserve loyalty from you, Roy. He never did. Even if you told a few guys-"

"Three."

"Three guys his identity, that in no way gives him the right to lock you outside in pouring rain for four days."

"Would you?" Bruce was so momentarily shocked he didn't answer right away. "If I were to tell someone your identity would you lock me outside in the rain?"

"No, of course not! I would never do that! No one would believe you anyway." He could tell by the look on Roy's face his attempt at humor wasn't appreciated. Hence why he didn't do it often. "Roy, I swear I would never treat you the way Oliver did."

"You were fine standing aside and letting him do it though." There was no bitterness in his voice, just a dejected tone. Bruce swallowed. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, letting Roy sit in his silence. "I was so cold and upset when he let me back in that I begged him to forgive me. To not send me away. He's the one who locked me outside and I apologized to him."

"Roy-"

"I'm messed up."

"No, you're not. Oliver is the one who's messed up." Bruce would've preferred to use much stronger words, but he could never be sure when Alfred was listening.

Roy wiped his eyes quickly. He stood up. "I want to keep practicing."

"Roy, it's 3 am." Bruce stood up as well, caught between trying to reason with Roy and grabbing his arm to keep him away from the equipment. "You need to sleep."

"I don't need sleep."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't want to."

"Can you try?" Roy looked away. "What if I called Leslie? I'm sure she can prescribe something to help you sleep."

"Sleep medication?"

"It could help. If you're going to be spending your nights on the streets you need to sleep." Roy didn't say anything. "Have you had a good night's sleep since you came here?"

"….A few times."

Bruce sighed. "Just…please go back to bed. I'll call Leslie, maybe she can give you something to help you sleep."

"…ok." Roy didn't want to go to bed, but it seemed like Bruce probably wouldn't let him stay up. He sighed as he moved to walk back to his room. He had only made it a few feet though before Dick barreled into him. "What-"

"Where were you?!" Dick demanded, his voice quivering. He buried his head into Roy's torso.

"In the gym…"

"I couldn't find you!"

"I'm sorry Dick. I didn't mean to worry you. I just couldn't sleep."

"Don't do that again!"

"I won't."

"Both of you should go to bed now," Bruce said.

"Come on Roy," Dick said as he grabbed Roy's hand. Roy still didn't want to sleep, but he was starting to feel exhausted. As bad as it made him feel to have worried his friend, it gave him a warm feeling inside to know that Dick cared about him.

'Hopefully, Dr. Leslie can help me.'

— —

Bruce didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that Leslie wasn't happy with him; even if they were just talking on the phone. "Bruce," she said carefully. "You do know I'm a medical doctor, right?"

"Roy needs help-"

"Psychological help. From a psychiatrist."

"I can't take him to a psychiatrist. No one can know he's here, because, legally, he's not supposed to be."

"Then I don't know what you want me to do."

"Can't you prescribe him something to help him sleep?"

"I could give him something for insomnia since that's a medical condition, but from the sound of it that's not what's wrong."

"Then what is wrong with him?"

"Not a psychologist Bruce."

"Leslie, please. He has nightmares almost every day. He wakes up screaming and panicked."

"I wish I could help Bruce."

"Is there anything you can do?" There was a sigh.

"From my very limited knowledge of mental health, Roy definitely has a psychological problem." That much Bruce had managed to figure out for himself.

"Just come to the Manor and talk to him."

"Bruce-"

"Leslie you're all I have. Please."

Leslie sighed. "The oath I took as a doctor states that I must first do no harm. Trying to treat a mental illness without knowledge of mental health would qualify as 'doing harm'."

"I don't know what else to do."

"I'm sorry Bruce, but I can't help you."

Bruce sighed. "I understand."

"If there's anything else I can do to help let me know."

"I will." Bruce hung up.

"I take it that didn't go well, sir?" Alfred asked.

"She can't help. She's afraid that because she's not a psychiatrist she could do more harm than good."

"What shall we do about Master Roy then?"

Bruce shook his head as he opened Roy's file on the bat computer. "We have to do something. He needs to sleep." He sighed as his eyes skimmed the information quickly, looking for any obvious mental health problems. "Maybe once I get him out on the streets he'll be better. Dick is."

"Master Dick and Master Roy have different problems and need different solutions, sir."

"I don't know what else we can do."

"Unfortunately, neither do I. Perhaps Mr. Allen would know."

"Maybe. I'll ask him at the next League meeting-" Bruce stopped abruptly. He had been about to close the file when something caught his eye. "Alfred, what day is it?"

"Wednesday, sir."

"The date?"

"The 19th, sir. Why do you ask?"

"Ask what?" Dick asked. He flipped over Alfred and perched on the back of Bruce's chair.

"Dick, did Roy happen to mention anything about his birthday last week?"

"Uh…no. Why?"

"Because it was last week."

"What?!" Dick leaned forward. "You're right!"

"Are you sure he didn't mention it?" Alfred asked.

"Positive. Bruce, this is terrible!"

"Calm down, Dick."

"No! Roy deserves to have a good birthday! He's been through so much!"

"Dick-"

"Besides, he probably didn't get to have good birthdays lately! Oliver probably hurt him then too!"

"Dick!" Dick quieted down. "If you stop, you'd hear me say that I agree with you."

"You do?"

"Yes. Roy does deserve to have a good birthday."

"So we're gonna celebrate it?!"

"Yes."

"Woo!" He did a backflip off the back of the chair. "He's gonna be so surprised! We're going to have cake and balloons and presents and-"

"Don't you have homework to finish?" Bruce asked him.

"Uh….right."

Bruce shook his head as Dick ran back upstairs. As overly energetic as Dick and been, Bruce did agree with him. He wasn't sure how Roy's birthdays were with Oliver, but he assumed they probably didn't go well. "Dick is right about Roy's birthday."

"Of course sir. Shall we plan to celebrate this weekend?"

"Yes." Bruce got up and made his way to the back of the cave where he had some things hidden. "I already have the perfect gifts for him."

— —

Saturday was unusually quiet in the Manor. Not that Roy was particularly bothered by it. He was in his room doing his "homework" while part of his mind tried to iron out the design of his newest trick arrow idea. After building the first ones with Bruce he was able to design them better. He shook his head and went back to his history homework. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't even notice as time passed. Next thing he knew there was a knock on the door.

"Roy!" Dick shouted, running into the room. "Come on!"

"Where're we going?" Roy in confusion as he was pulled from his bed, into the hall, and down the stairs.

"It's a surprise!"

Roy sighed, deciding it was best to probably humor his small friend. They slowed down once they were on the first floor and Dick lead him into the dining room. "What-"

"Surprise!" Dick beamed. Roy defiantly looked surprised.

"What is this?" Alfred and Bruce were at the table. On the table, there was a cake and several wrapped presents. There were balloons tied to the backs of the chairs and a letter banner that said 'Happy Birthday' on the wall.

"I was on the Bat-computer looking at your file when I noticed your birthday was…last week," Bruce explained while Dick made Roy sit down.

"Oh…"

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" Dick asked, sitting next to him.

"I-I didn't want to be a burden…"

"Roy," Bruce said gently. He waited until he had the teen's attention. "You're not a burden. The Manor is your home now. We will always celebrate your birthday if you want to."

"Even if you don't want to, we still might," Dick added.

Roy looked at the presents. "Are those for me?"

"Of course!"

"And…the cake too?"

"Absolutely!"

Roy eyed it longingly. It was a circle cake that had 'Happy 15th Birthday Roy' written on it in icing. "Thank you…"

"Open the presents!" Dick handed one to him. "This one's from me!"

Roy tore off the wrapping paper. "A book?" He turned it over. "History of archery."

"It looked like something you'd like," Dick explained as Roy opened it and flipped through the pages. "Do you?"

"I do, thank you." He took the next one.

"This one is also from me."

"They're all from him," Bruce said, feeling like it might save Roy some time.

The second and third gifts both turned out to be new games. One was a hunting game where you could shoot a virtual bow and arrow, and the second was a race car game. "Thanks, Dick."

"You're welcome!" Dick beamed, leaning over and giving Roy a hug.

"These are from me, Master Roy," Alfred said, sliding a card and a plate of brownies across the table. "The treats are all for you and not for Master Dick."

"You'll share though, right Roy?"

"Maybe…" Roy responded mysteriously as he read the card. "Thank you, Alfred."

"You're quite welcome sir."

Bruce stood. "I have something for you too." He started walking out and gestured for Roy to follow. Roy got up and followed him, quickly followed by Dick and Alfred. Confusion and curiosity started to creep into his brain, but when he relaxed when he realized they were going downstairs.

'What could it be?'

"Ready?" Bruce asked him. He'd led Roy to a part of the cave that was dark.

"Yes…" The lights came on and Roy gasped. They were in the part of the cave where Batman and Robin's suits were hanging. Except now, hanging on the other side of Robin's suit was a new one. It was incredibly simple with black boots and pants. The top was mostly black as well, save a red section on the front that included the small collar. Grey bands wrapped around the edges of the armholes, connected by a grey band across the top of the chest. The armguard and glove for his shot hand were also black. He crept closer and touched the side of both legs of the pants had a little pouch on them, connected with a leg harness. Hanging off the back he could see a black quiver. The whole thing was completed with a black domino mask, identical to Robin's. "Is- Is this for me?"

"It is. It's your suit."

"Wow…"

"It's lightly reinforced with kevlar, very lightly. Less than Robin's because I didn't want to constrain you due to your archery. You need to be able to move your torso. The grey padding on the knees is very light as well and should allow you to drop into a kneeling position to shoot with ease. The pouches are for whatever you may need them for. There are some things you'll be required to keep in them, like a tracker and an extra comm."

"Cool."

"I still think it needs a cape," Dick said.

"He's an archer, Dick," Bruce reminded him. "A cape would just get in his way."

"Still…"

"Over here, Roy."

Roy tore himself away from his new suit to follow Bruce to the place where the equipment was stored. "Whoa…" The newest addition was two racks of arrows, some with traditional arrow hands, but others with the modified the ones he'd designed. Hanging on the wall above the racks were two red and black bows. Bruce grabbed one and handed it to Roy.

"The bows are made out of an incredibly flexible, yet lightweight metal Wayne Tech has been developing. The bowstring is incredibly strong and resistant to cutting and snapping."

Roy held it in his hand. It was pretty light, but when he pulled back the thing he could feel the weight behind it. "This is cool."

"Glad you think so." Bruce put the bow back for Roy.

"This stuff is…for me?"

"Yes, it is."

"Thanks."

"Does this mean he's coming on patrol with us?!" Dick asked excitedly.

"I want to test him a little more," Bruce said. "However, I think next week he can come." He also had an ulterior motive for this decision. That being, wanting to make sure all the Arkham inmates were locked up before Roy's first patrol.

"Yes! Hear that Roy?! You get to come out with us next week!" Roy nodded.

"As exciting as this is, I think we should move upstairs for some cake," Alfred told them.

"What're you gonna call yourself?" Dick asked Roy as they headed back for the staircase. "Are you still going to be Speedy?"

"No!" Roy answered immediately. The other three looked shocked at his sudden outburst. "Sorry I- It's just….Speedy was the name Green Arrow gave me. Speedy isn't….wasn't a hero. He was an accomplice. He worked for a villain. He was weak."

"Roy-" Bruce said, but Roy cut him off.

"I don't want to be Speedy anymore."

"That's fine. You can pick a new name." If anything, Bruce preferred it that way.

"Any idea what you want to call yourself?" Dick asked him.

"No," Roy admitted.

"That's ok, you have time to figure it out. Now let's go eat cake!"

Roy let himself be pulled up the stairs, eager to have his first bite of cake in three years.


	41. The First Patrol

A/N: It's Roy's first night as a vigilante in Gotham. DPTTrocks: yes, she is. Read on and enjoy!

The following week was a blur for Roy. Bruce tested him on everything he'd been working on. They sparred for close to an hour without stopping while Roy used his new bow. He could pick out random streets from an unmarked map of the city. He knew the details of past cases, especially those of Batman's rogues gallery. Bruce didn't bother to test his archery skills, seeing as how there was no need. Eventually though, he had to admit to himself, Roy was more than ready.

The day of, Roy was in his room when Dick ran in. "Today's the day!" he shouted, somersaulting onto Roy's bed. "Are you ready?!"

"I hope so," Roy said.

"You are. Bruce wouldn't let you come if you weren't."

"That's true, I guess."

"Have you thought any more about your name?"

"Yeah."

"Got one?"

"No." Roy sighed. "I just… don't know what I should call myself." He gave Dick a strange look. "Why do you call yourself Robin?"

"My mom used to call me that. I picked it as kind of a…tribute to my parents."

"Oh. That's nice."

"Don't worry, you'll think of something."

"Thanks."

"I better go do my homework before we leave tonight. I'd hate to get benched on your first night."

"Have fun." Dick leaped off the bed and ran out of the room; making Roy wonder if he was capable of leaving in any other fashion. He laid back and stared up at the ceiling. 'How am I supposed to pick my name?' Any name would be fine, as long as it wasn't Speedy. He frowned. 'Something that has no connection to Oliver. Nothing that has anything to do with what he does.'

Nothing that tied Roy to all those deaths.

He squeezed his eye shut as guilt twisted his gut. 'I'm not responsible. I'm not responsible.' At least…that's what Bruce always told him. 'What would be a good name?' He put his hands over his face. 'No! I don't want to be like Oliver anymore! I don't want to be that weak anymore! If anything, I want to be strong and good. To have my own arsenal and be my own hero.'

— —

That night, the first thing Roy did was take the quiver off his suit and fill it with arrows. He placed them in carefully, trying to make sure he didn't set them off. Once he finished that he grabbed a bow and suited up. It was really nerve wrecking to be going on patrol again. "It's not Oliver. It's not Oliver. It's not Oliver," he reminded himself quietly as he secured the leg harness. He pulled the shoulder harness on, tightening it so his quiver was secure. The gloves were slipped on, as was the arm guard. "In…Out…In…Out…"

"Roy!" Roy took another breath. He grabbed his mask and walked out into the main area of the cave. "You look awesome!"

"Thanks…"

"Let me help you with the mask." Dick put some adhesive on the edges of Roy's mask. "There you go." Roy put it on, making sure to press it hard against his skin. "Ready?"

"Yes…"

"Do you have a name yet?" Batman asked him, pulling the cowl down over his face.

"Or should we just call you Arrow Boy?" Robin teased, securing his cape.

Roy squeezed his bow to try and alleviate his fear. "Arsenal."

"Arsenal… I like it! It's cool!"

Batman nodded. Good as any other name. Very different from Speedy. "I made this for you." He handed the strangely tipped arrow to the teen. "It's a grapple arrow. Shoot it at a building, then you retract the line from either end and the pieces fit back together."

"Thanks." Arsenal put the arrow in his quiver.

"Stay close to us tonight. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Batman sighed internally. 'Never mind. He's probably nervous.' He started walking to the bat-mobile. "Robin, Arsenal, let's go."

"To the bat-mobile!" Robin yelled.

Arsenal followed them, trying to keep himself calm. 'Just listen and don't miss any shots. Just listen and don't miss any shots.' Robin got in the back seat and Arsenal got in the front. He kept his bow in his hand the entire time. He didn't really know how patrol usually went for Batman and Robin, but he just hoped that he wouldn't mess up. Once they were in the city Batman hid the bat-mobile in an alley and Robin hopped out.

"Stay close," Batman instructed. He and Robin pulled out the grappling guns while Roy pulled out his grappling arrow. He shot the arrow up at the building. The line went taunt and he hit the retract button. He kept a grip on the second half of the arrow as it jerked him off the ground. Admittedly, he didn't know how the inner workings of the arrow were capable of this, but he was too nervous to concentrate on it. Once he was on the rooftop he put the two halves of the arrow back together and slipped it back into his quiver. He followed Batman and Robin across the rooftops. It didn't take long for them to find crime. The came across a group of seven men cornering three girls. Batman and Robin leaped into action, dropping down on the criminals. Arsenal followed closely behind. Robin kicked one of the men in the face, then grabbed the hood of his sweater as he flipped over them, pulling the man to the ground. Batman grabbed two more men by their necks and pulled them to the ground. Which left the other four to Arsenal.

He wasted no time drawing an arrow from his quiver and shooting down the barrel of the closest gun.

"What the-" the man balked at his now useless weapon. "How did he do that?!"

Arsenal kept firing, disabling the other three guns. One of the men suddenly fell to the ground from Robin sweeping his feet out from under him. Two of the men charged Arsenal. He shot an electroshock arrow at one of them, stunning him before he could reach the teen. The second one got close, but Arsenal ducked under his punch with ease and whacked the man in the head with his bow. The blow was hard enough to stun the man. Arsenal swallowed and looked around. All the bad guys were down and now Batman was handcuffing them.

"Catch!" Robin yelled, throwing a pair to Arsenal. "We don't want them getting away."

"Right." Arsenal knelt down and handcuffed the man's hands behind his back so he couldn't get away.

"The police should be on their way to collect them," Batman said. "Let's go."

Arsenal pulled his grapple arrow out of his quiver and shot it at the roof of a building. Soon, he was back on the rooftop. He took a deep breath. "You ok?" Robin asked him quietly as they followed Batman.

Arsenal nodded. "We didn't kill them. We just….handed them over to the police."

"That's what we do!"

"It's….different."

"Good different?"

"Yes. Good different."

Despite what the two boys thought, Batman heard their conversation. He didn't comment, but couldn't stop the positive feeling he got from Arsenal's reaction. In true Gotham fashion, they found another crime in progress in no time. Batman stopped on the edge of a building, looking down at the exchange below them. "What's going on?" Robin asked settling beside him. Arsenal stopped beside the bird, looking down at the scene below carefully. One man was handing another a wad of cash. Make that several wads of cash. This was a scene he recognized.

"A deal," he responded quietly, mostly without thinking. "Guns or drugs. Most likely guns."

"What makes you say that?" Batman asked, genuinely curious.

"Most exchanges go down with the product on hand because it's a very tense situation. Guys who buy want their product, guys who sell want their money. No one trusts the others so we do it with both our guys watching each other, the product, and the money."

"What does that have to do with this?" Robin asked.

"Gun deals have extremely large amounts of cash, more than drugs because guns are so expensive and worth so much. Duffel bags full. There's no product around here, so this must be a down payment. It's far too small to be a full payment. More like a sign of trust than anything."

"When do you think the deal will go down?" Batman asked him, trying to gauge Arsenal's deduction skills.

"Hard to tell. The guy on the right, the one receiving the money, follow him and he'll lead you to the leader."

"He'll have the guns," Robin said.

"He'll control the guns, he won't have them. They'll be in a separate location."

Batman nodded. "We'll follow him back to his hideout. We'll monitor and investigate this group to lead us to the guns."

"We definitely don't want more guns on the streets," Robin nodded.

"He's on the move," Arsenal noted as their target left the alley.

"I'm calling the Bat-mobile," Batman said.

"Won't he see us?"

"We'll follow at a good distance. Robin, did you drop a micro tracker on him?"

"Two," Robin replied.

"Micro tracker?" Arsenal asked.

"See?" Robin turned his wrist computer on. He quickly typed in a few things and pulled up a circle grid with a blinking light. "He's moving north."

"Toward the Narrows?"

"Yeah."

"We'll follow behind in a few minutes."

"He just turned east. He's not heading to the Narrows anymore."

"He's trying to throw off potential tails," Arsenal said. "The buyers. Rivals. Us."

Robin smirked. "It's a pointless effort."

"Let's go," Batman told them. Robin and Arsenal followed him down to the ground. Truthfully, Arsenal hadn't known the Bat-mobile had an autopilot feature, but he wasn't really surprised. They got in and followed the trail of the gun dealer. "Where is he now Robin?"

"Still heading east- No wait. Now's he's going south. He's backtracking."

"He's a pro," Arsenal said.

"Not pro enough to beat us."

"Robin," Batman warned him.

"He's heading back towards the Narrows again." Once he was in the neighborhood, the guy only drove for 10 minutes before reaching his destination. "He's stopped." He looked out the window. "Batman the bat signal is up."

"We'll have to come back to this case." Batman pulled a U-turn and drove towards the Gotham Police Department. He really, really hoped no one broke out of Arkham. He didn't want the very first night Arsenal was on patrol to be his introduction into the craziest of the crazy. Especially Joker. The last thing he wanted was for Arsenal to have to deal with Joker on his first night. He was still half expecting Arsenal to freak out at any moment; given what he'd been through with Green Arrow. So far though, he'd been calm and focused on the task at hand. It actually impressed Batman that he could do so well. In a matter of minutes, they were on the roof of the police station. "Commissioner."

Gordon turned around. "Batman." A familiar red, green, and a bright figure jumped out of the shadows, did a flip, and landed next to Batman. "Robin." He couldn't hide his shock when a third figure stepped out of the darkness. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the archer.

"He's Arsenal," Robin explained. "He's new."

"Where do you find these kids?"

"What do you need Commissioner?" Batman asked.

"There's been a break-in at the Art Museum."

"What was taken?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Robin asked in confusion. "Who breaks into a museum without taking anything?"

"I have a hunch. See, the art museum was hosting two priceless Ancient Egyptian statues, but they were moved to be displayed in the history museum. The two statues in question are in the shape of cats."

Robin sighed and hung his head while Batman's mouth tightened. "Catwoman."

"Yes." Gordon looked away to grab a paper from the officer behind him. "I already sent some officers-" Batman was gone. "Typical."

"Hey Commissioner," the officer said as his boss turned off the Bat signal. "Did you notice something weird about that archer kid Bats has?"

"I'm still wondering where Batman found him. Although, he does match the description Commissioner Lance gave me for Green Arrow's partner if that's what you're referring to."

"That psycho has a sidekick?" another cop asked.

"Used to. I guess no one's seen him in a few months. Now all of a sudden Batman has a new kid working with him who matches the description."

"Coincidence?"

"With Batman, there's no such thing."

"Think Batman kidnapped him?"

"No, but you've heard about what Green Arrow does. That kid is probably better off with Batman."

— —

"Do you think Catwoman will try to break in tonight?" Robin asked as they crept across the rooftop of the Gotham History Museum.

"Catwoman?" Arsenal asked. She hadn't been in the cases he studied.

"She's a thief who steals cat related items or really shiny stuff." He lowered his voice. "Also Batman has a crush on her."

"I heard that Robin," Batman said.

"It's still true." He smirked when Batman didn't deny it. They came across an open skylight with a rope tied to a nearby pipe. "Looks like she's here." Instead of answering, Batman simply took out his grappling hook and lowered himself inside. Robin and Arsenal followed both landing silently on the floor. Arenal slipped an arrow out of his quiver and nocked it to his bowstring.

"Robin, you and Arsenal go from the right."

"Ok. Come on Arsenal." Arsenal followed Robin through the museum. They crept past several displays and rounded a corner into another room. Robin pulled out a bat-a-rang and Arsenal pulled the bowstring back. There was a woman dressed in black who was halfway through putting a foot tall statue in her bag, who froze when she saw them

"Hello Kitten," she smiled at Robin. Her eyes traveled to Arsenal. "Do you have a new friend?"

"Put them back," Batman said, stepping out of the darkness.

"Can't I just keep one?"

"No."

"You're no fun." She moved her to Batman. Arsenal frowned as she put the hand on his chest. "Does the museum really need two? I would appreciate them so much more."

"Put them back."

She flashed a smile at him. Instead of answering she did a backflip as he reached for her. Batman and Robin both went after her, trying to pin her down. She was fat though, moving between them with apparent ease. Arsenal took a step back. He watched their movements for a minute before aiming his arrow. He released it and it cut the strap of her bag. Robin dove forward and caught the bag, somersaulting out of the fray with it. Catwoman gave Arsenal a look he couldn't really identify. "Convenient kid you got. What's your name?"

"Arsenal," he said.

Catwoman sighed. She eyed the bag, which Robin had a tight grip on. "Guess I'll be going-" She began backtracking away from the boys, but unfortunately Batman was standing right behind her and immediately grabbed her arms when she turned around.

"You're not going anywhere," he said.

"Really now Batman, is this any way to treat a lady?" She looked to the right where Robin and Arsenal were putting the statues back. "Where did you get the new kid?" She didn't get an answer, which only peaked her interest more. "Come on, give me something. Why did you add an archer to the group?" Still no answer. Instead, Batman simply started handcuffing her. "Fine, fine, have it your way." At that moment several Gotham police officers came around the corner.

"We thought we saw movement in here," one of them said.

"The statues she tried to take have been returned," Batman said, gently handing her over to the officers.

"Good thing you were Batman. You too Robin."

Robin was mildly surprised he didn't seem to notice Arsenal. 'I know the GCPD doesn't always have the smartest officers, but this is kind of ridiculous.' Fortunately, that was a sentiment not shared his colleagues, who definitely noticed the new addition, but wisely didn't comment. Batman simply left, Robin and Arsenal following closely behind. "That was fast. Normally she's a lot harder to catch."

"Arsenal's presence might've thrown her off," Batman replied. They got up to the roof and headed for the Batmobile. "She wasn't expecting him to cut the bag from a distance. She had no idea what to expect from him. No one will." While he knew that would work with many criminals, he couldn't count on it working with the whole rogues gallery. All it would take is one Arkham inmate to see Arsenal and the others would all know to expect him the next time they broke out. Smarter villains like Riddler would probably be able to adapt his plans on the fly with the new vigilante. There was no telling how Joker would react, but if his introduction to Robin was anything to go by, surprise was the absolute best case scenario. 'At least Selina was the first big name he had to take down.' Which Batman was actually a little grateful for. She was far less dangerous than anyone from Arkham (to him at least) and it had been a good first take-down of a Gotham villain for Arsenal. Even if Batman knew the others wouldn't go write this well.

After the museum, it was back to the gun dealers. Batman wanted to track down the buyers as well, but that would require spitting up. Normally he wouldn't really hesitate. Have Robin stake-out the sellers and report back while he went after the buyers. However, with Arsenal, he was hesitant to split them up. The teen was definitely not ready for any solo tasks, even if Robin was with him. Batman also knew Robin's general presence was probably a contribution to Arsenal's calm demeanor that night. So all three of them staked out the apparent headquarters of the gun sellers. "Arsenal you wait here," Batman instructed. "This road would be the fastest way to the harbor. If Robin sees anyone leave, then he'll alert you and you be on the lookout for that car heading that way. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Arsenal said. Staking-out gun traffickers was a familiar territory for him. Batman and Robin left him and he dropped down onto the rooftop. There was a small ledge he used to hide behind. He grabbed a small pair of binoculars from one of his pouches and started watching the road. He couldn't see where Batman or Robin were, but he supposed that was because they were Batman and Robin. He settled down and watched the road carefully.

"How's it going Arsenal?" Robin asked over the comms.

"Uh….fine."

"Do you enjoy a good stakeout?"

"Not really…"

"Same. Stake-outs are boring. Kicking bad guys in the face is way better."

Arsenal had different reasons for hating stake-outs. Green Arrow wasn't exactly known for having excellent patience. If things took too long, which they definitely could sometimes, it would lead to bad things for Speedy. If nothing happened at all that night, he'd be taking his mentor's frustrations. On the other hand though, when stake-outs led them to big name traffickers, Green Arrow would be in a great mood when they got home. It was this uncertainty that had made Speedy really dread having to do stake-outs. 'It's not going to be like that this time,' he told himself silently. 'It's not going to be like that.' He kept his gaze on the street below, watching for any kind of movement. He hadn't moved at all in at least a couple of hours when Robin's voice suddenly alerted him over the comms.

"There's two SUV's leaving the area. Black with tinted windows."

"They're heading down my road," Arsenal said. "Towards the harbor."

"To the Bat-mobile." They met Batman at the Bat-mobile and Robin continued to track the vehicles. "They're still heading to the harbor."

"Hopefully the deal is going down tonight," Batman said. Arsenal hoped so too. They once again hid the Bat-mobile and took to the rooftops of the buildings. The smell of the sea still caught Arsenal by surprise. 'Guess that's what growing up in the desert will do to you.' He landed next to Batman, who looked to Robin.

"They're in the shipping import."

"They're probably keeping the guns there." They ran from rooftop to rooftop, easily leaping over the gaps. Arsenal was slightly amused by Robin flipping every so often. Soon the buildings became shipping crates. They followed Robin's directions until they were near the men. Batman settled into the shadows, Robin pulling himself lower to conceal the brighter colors under his cape. He was only slightly surprised to see Arsenal making himself hidden as well.

"Are there guns in there?"

"We can't see from this vantage point. Arsenal, sneak down there. We need to know if they have the guns here."

Arsenal swallowed and nodded. "Ok." He slipped away and easily lowered himself to the ground on the backside of the shipping crate.

"Why did you send him?" Robin asked in a hushed tone.

"He's more than capable," Batman replied.

Meanwhile, Arsenal was slowly making his way to the men. He darted across the open road, stopping when he was in the shadows of the shipping crates on the other sides. Moving with practiced ease, he snuck closer until he could see their crates. Unfortunately, he couldn't see inside from the distance. "I can't see inside the crates, it's too dark," he said into his comm. "Wait. There's movement." One of the men turned around and Roy saw the gun in his hand. "One of the men has an assault rifle."

"We don't want that on the streets," Batman growled.

"Looks like it might be what they're selling." He watched as the man put it in a trunk, not unlike the one Oliver used to shut him in, and he was convinced. "This is where they're keeping the guns."

"Take them down." Arsenal stepped out of the shadows and nocked an arrow to his bow in the same movement. He shot an electroshock arrow at the man holding the assault rifle, sending him down. The others reacted in a predictable fashion, drawing their guns and pointing them at the young archer. This was a familiar sight for him though, and he moved almost without thinking. He started shooting arrows down their gun barrels, moving to dodge the bullets that were coming at him. Of course, none of his shots missed and by the time Batman and Robin dropped down on them, most of the guns had been disabled. Arsenal joined in the fight, pulling off fast shots that took out guys at the knee or by stunning them. He saw one guy grab one of the assault rifles and point it at Batman. He reacted instinctually and shot an arrow down the gun barrel, then at the man's hands, forcing him to abandon the weapon. Robin took over from there, cackling as he flipped onto the man's shoulders and used his momentum to bring him down. Batman didn't miss the assist from Arsenal. The teen kept up his assault, smoothly going from punching someone to shooting someone else several feet away. With most of the men incapacitated, Batman took the opportunity to grab the man who looked like he could be the leader. He picked him up by his shirt and slammed him into the heart shipping crate. "Who were you selling these too?"

"I ain't talking Bat," the man said.

Batman simply snarled and climbed up the shipping crate, dragging the man with him. He dropped the man back to the ground. It wasn't far enough to seriously hurt him, but it was enough to knock the wind out of him. Momentarily unable to breathe combined with the sight of the Big Bad Bat of Gotham suddenly descending on him, with his cape spread wide, was enough to terrify the man. Batman leaned over him."Who were you selling the guns to?"

Apparently oblivious to the interrogation, Robin and Arsenal were busy making sure all the men were secure. "Good thing we caught these guys when we did,o" Robin noted. "Or these guns could've done some serious damage." Arsenal nodded. Robin glanced to his left. "Is the interrogation bothering you?" He was pretty used to Batman's methods, but given Arsenal's background, he wondered if his friend could stand it. To his surprise, Arsenal shook his head.

"Trust me, Green Arrow's were way worse," he replied.

"Really?"

"At one point a newspaper referred to them as 'borderline torture'."

"Torture? Really?"

"They weren't exactly wrong."

"Robin, Arsenal," Batman said, calling them over. The joined him and followed him to their original vantage point. "I have the information we need and called the police." Once they were hidden again, they watched the men to make sure no one got away. "We'll wait until they arrive so we know the men are in custody."

"What kind of info did you get?" Robin asked.

"Information on who was buying the guns and the scope of the operation. It's larger than I thought. We'll need to dismantle it."

"At least they lost this shipment."

"They'll replace it," Arsenal said absentmindedly. "As soon as word reaches the top guy he'll have a new shipment ordered." He realized Batman and Robin were both looking at him. "Sorry." They heard the approaching sirens and soon the cops began arriving on the scene. The three vigilantes mad ether exit back to the Bat-mobile.

"Where to next?!" Robin asked excitedly.

"For you two? Home," Batman said.

"Awww…."

"It's a school night."

"Even for Arsenal?"'

"Yes, even for Arsenal." Robin sighed but knew it would be useless to argue. "Arsenal."

"Yes, Batman?" Arsenal asked cautiously.

"How did you know so much about the gun traffickers?"

Arsenal looked down at the bow in his lap. "Trafficking is a huge problem in Star. Drugs. Guns. People. We had to deal with things like that almost every other week."

"I'm assuming you had to….deal with the traffickers a lot."

"If by deal you mean Green Arrow killed them all, then yes."

"The city still suffered from the trafficking though?"

"We could take out an entire stronghold and two more groups would pop up to take their place."

"That sounds frustrating," Robin noted.

"Yes, Green Arrow would get very frustrated sometimes." Arsenal stopped talking, but Batman let it go. The teen got lost in his sudden memories of Green Arrow slaughtering dozens of people, or beating Roy, blaming the sudden increase in traffickers on his stupidity and incompetence in the field. He was so lost in thought he was surprised to discover they'd already arrived at the Bat Cave. He and Robin got out and were greeted by Alfred.

"How was patrol sirs?" Alfred asked.

"Arsenal helped us take down some gun traffickers! He's really smart about this stuff, you should've seen it." Robin beamed proudly. Arsenal frowned when the Bat-mobile left again. "Don't worry," Robin said to the look on the teen's face. "He always goes out again after he drops me off. It's still early for him."

"However, it is not early for the two of you. I expect you two upstairs and in bed within the hour."

"Yes, Alfred."

"Yes, Alfred," Arsenal said. He took off his mask and changed out of his suit. 'I was able to not be completely incompetent tonight,' he thought with some pride as he followed Dick upstairs into the Manor. 'I was useful.' It made him relax a little bit. 'I was useful. Good job.'

— —

The sight of his home on the reservation filled Roy with joy. A smile lit up across his face and he was running inside before he had time to process it. "Brave Bow?!" he called, running in through the screen door; which still screeched when he opened it. "Brave Bow?" Confusion crept in on him when he discovered the house was empty. There was no furniture, no pictures, nothing. Roy turned around, craning his neck to get a good look at the small place. "Brave Bow?"

"Roy?" Roy spun around. Brave Bow stood in the center of the room with his hands behind his back.

"Brave Bow!" Roy ran to him and gave him a hug. "I've missed you so much."

Brave Bow pushed him away, putting his hands on his shoulders. "Roy, what've you done?"

"Done? I-I don't understand…"

"You helped a killer."

"You mean Oliver?"

"You brought him to our home. A man who murdered so many."

"I-I didn't know…. When he was on the reservation, when I first met him, I swear I didn't know!"

"I thought I taught you better."

"Brave Bow….please…"

"You've disappointed me, Roy."

"What? I-I did it to honor you. To honor what you taught me."

"By killing people?"

"I never killed anyone…."

"You helped him."

"I'm sorry…"

"I thought I raised you to be stronger than that."

Roy bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"You're not my son."

Roy lifted his head up, but Brave Bow was gone. "No! Brave Bow?!" He looked around, but his adopted father was nowhere to be found. "Brave Bow! Please don't leave me! Please, I'm sorry!" He stopped when a strange smell reached him. "What-" Flames suddenly sprung up all around the edges of the room. Roy started coughing as smoke seemed to be taking up more of the air every second. He ran for the door, but when he got there he discovered that the flames were preventing him from getting out. He backed up, putting his arm over his mouth. The flames were now eating their way up the walls of the house. He coughed and choked on the smoke. "Help!" he shouted. "Help!" He knew it was useless though. No one was around. He was completely alone. "Someone please help me!" Roy knelt down, trying to get away from the thick smoke. It stung his eyes, making them water.

'No one's coming,' he thought miserably, coughing again. 'No one's going to save me.' He heard a creaking sound and then a snap! and looked up just in time to see a burning chunk of the roof failing towards him.

"Ah!" he yelled, jerking awake. he gasped and turned on the lamp near his bed. Alfred had placed it there due to the number of times he'd wake up during the night. He inhaled in quick shallow gasps. Shaking his head, Roy turned off the light and laid back down. He probably wasn't going back to sleep, though. He curled up into a ball under the blankets. "I'm sorry Brave Bow," he whispered. Tears leaked past his closed eyelids and slipped down his cheeks. He whimpered and let out a quiet sob. "I'm so sorry Dad. Please, please forgive me."


	42. The Grand Canyon State

A/N: Hey guys, I have another chapter for you. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and I'll see you all in 2018.

"Is all of your school work done?" Bruce asked Roy. The teen was working on something in the Bat Cave when Bruce came downstairs. Alfred had said he hadn't seen Roy since his lessons for the day had finished. 'He must've been down here.'

"Yes, it is," Roy said. "I finished it and then came down here."

Bruce walked closer and peered over his shoulder. "What're you working on?" He could almost feel the hesitation in Roy's mind. "I'm not going to think it's stupid or get aggravated. I promise."

"It's a….a. new trick arrow."

"Another one?"

"Uh….yeah…"

"What does it do?"

"If it works then it would….um…."

"It would…."

"….Deploy a boxing glove…."

Bruce blinked, wondering if he'd heard that correctly. "A boxing glove?"

"…..yes…." Ok, so it was kind of stupid. Luckily he saw how tense Roy was, so he closed his mouth and considered his next words carefully.

"That's…interesting…What applications do you think it will have in the field?"

"Well…what if you need to punch someone really far away?"

"I suppose…"

"I'm just…messing around. I'll stop if you want me to-"

"No, no, if you want to tinker with trick arrows that's fine. I'd prefer you to do something constructive." He sat down next to Roy. "Do you need help?"

"Um…sure. If-if you want. I'm trying to get the inflating mechanism to work."

"Inflating mechanism?" Roy handed Bruce his designs for the arrow. "I see. This isn't a bad design, for a boxing glove arrow at least." Roy chuckled, which took Bruce by surprise. He glanced over at the teen, but his face was neutral as he focused on his task. "Why don't you try this-" Bruce stopped, hesitating to put his hands on Roy's. "Is it ok if I touch you?"

"Um- Yeah. That's fine." Bruce put his hand on Roy's to show him what he was talking about, They worked in silence for a few minutes while Bruce tried to help Roy figure out how to work the inflation mechanism. "You're picking up on this stuff really quickly."

"Thanks. Surprising considering how-"

"You're not stupid Roy, so don't try to say you are."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, I just…don't want you to think that. You're not stupid. You're very smart."

"Thanks. Brave Bow always thought I was smart too."

"Did he?"

"Yeah. Whenever I got a C on a test he'd say: Roy, you're smart and I know you can do better. I always had to maintain at least a B average for him."

"Sounds like he had a lot of faith in you."

"He just wanted me to do well. One time, I skipped school to go play ball with some boys in my class and the grade above us, boy was he mad. I was grounded for a week."

"How did he find out?"

"A cop on the reservation caught us playing. Some of the boys got away, but others weren't so lucky."

"Sounds like you and your friends caused trouble."

"They weren't really my friends. They wanted someone else to play but he was sick."

"You were the backup?"

"Kind of. They were my friends when they needed an extra player or help with homework. I didn't really fit in on the reservation."

"Oh?"

"One time I came home from school and some men were talking to Brave Bow. They stopped talking when I came in and Brave Bow told me to put my bag away and go play outside. I knew something was up because he always made me do my homework before I was allowed to go outside."

"Did you ever find out what they were talking about?"

"No, but it was weird." He didn't mention that later that night Brave Bow had told him he'd always have a home with him, no matter what anyone said. It'd given Roy an idea about what they were discussing. "Am I doing this right?"

"Yes, just keep your hand steady and move it right here."

— The Next Day —

"Then we get to look through the big telescope and look at the constellations," Dick said, concluding his detailed account of what he would be doing on his school trip.

"Why do you have to go somewhere to look at stars? Can't you just look up?" Roy asked. He was sitting cross-legged on Dick's bed doing his homework while Dick packed his bag.

"Because there's light pollution."

"You could just stay here and I'll show the constellations."

"You know them?"

"Brave Bow taught them to me when I was a kid and we'd go camping in the mountains."

"You could see the stars?"

"You could see so many stars. The sky was full of them." Roy looked down at his lap, suddenly getting really quiet. It took Dick a minute to notice. He swallowed and sat on the bed next to Roy. He wrapped an arm around his friend and leaned his head against his shoulder. Roy didn't say anything, but he didn't move away either. The two of them didn't move for a couple of minutes. When they finally did, Roy didn't say anything, but he did squeeze Dick's hand before he left the room. He went back to his own bedroom and put his work away. It was Friday, so he had all weekend to work on it. He'd decided to go downstairs and work on his fighting when someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Bruce came in and Roy frowned. "You're home early-" He clicked his jaw shut and tensed.

Bruce noticed but didn't say anything. He tried to stay relaxed and calm, hoping it'd show Roy he could do the same. "I'm home early because I have to leave for a business trip tomorrow."

"I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have questioned it."

"It's fine Roy, I'm not mad. Anyways, I have to go to Phoenix this weekend to try and finalize a deal with another company."

"You're going to Phoenix? As in….Arizona?"

"Yes. I know that's where you're originally from. Not Phoenix, but the state of Arizona."

"Um….yeah…" Roy gave him a suspicious look.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

"Go with you?"

"Yes."

"I-I thought I had to stay hidden."

"I have a private plane. I wouldn't offer if I didn't think I could keep you safe while we're there. I probably won't have to do work all weekend so we could…do something else too."

While Roy wanted to say yes, there were alarm bells going off inside his head. This was too familiar. Too nice. Too much like Oliver. He swallowed and tried to think of something to say. "Thanks, Bruce that's really…really nice. I just-"

"Do you not want to go?" Bruce asked in confusion. He'd thought this was a good idea. This should be a place Roy considered his home. A place he should want to go back, especially since he hadn't been there since he'd left the reservation.

"It's not that. I-I want to go. I really do."

"Then what's wrong?" Roy shifted on his feet and looked away. "Roy you can tell me, I promise I won't get mad." Roy wrapped his arms around himself.

"When I first met Ollie….he'd do things with me. Take me hiking, or to the city, or camping. We did stuff like that and he was really nice. Just…nice and that's why when Brave Bow died I…."

Bruce sighed internally. Of course, Oliver had somehow ruined this for Roy. "I'm not trying to trick you, Roy. I know that you haven't been back to your home in years-"

"Phoenix isn't my home. The reservation is." Roy closed his eyes and silently cursed himself. "I"m sorry. I shouldn't have- I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Roy. It's ok."

"No, I talked back to you."

"You were clarifying something for me. I'm not mad. Do I sound mad?"

"…No."

"Do I look mad?"

Roy opened his eyes. "….No."

"Then I'm not mad. I have maybe a day's worth of work and then we can do what you want. I'm not trying to get something from you, Roy, I just thought you'd like a change of scenery."

Roy looked away. He wanted to go. He really did. He longed to see the desert again and to feel the oppressive heat of the Arizona sun. As strange was it was, he missed the scraggly weeds and cactuses. He missed the scenery he'd grown up with. "Ok. I-I want to go."

Bruce was hopeful at the way Roy said he 'wanted' to go and not that he 'would' go. "Ok. We'll leave in a couple of hours."

Roy nodded. After Bruce left he crawled under his bed and held his charred bow to his body. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to picture the day he got it. Instead, though, his brain decided to focus on his bow burning. He opened his eyes and sighed. 'Guess I should pack or something.' He crawled out from under his bed, but quickly realized his first problem. He didn't have a bag. After a moment of deliberation, he went back to Dick's room. "Hey, Dick?"

"Yeah?" Dick asked, just finishing zipping his bag.

"Can I borrow a bag?"

"Why?"

"Um….I'm going to Arizona with Bruce this weekend."

"You are?!" An unidentifiable feeling started building in his stomach.

"Yeah. I need a bag to pack some clothes in."

"Alright well…" Dick disappeared into his closet and returned two minutes later with a small tote bag. "Here. You can use this."

"Thanks." Roy went back to his room with the distinct feeling that Dick was mad at him for some reason. He shrugged it off though and tried to figure out what to pack.

— —

"Are you ready to go?" Bruce asked Dick when his younger ward came downstairs to the foyer.

"I don't know," Dick replied with uncharacteristic snark. "Are you ready to go?"

"What's with the attitude?"

"Roy told me you're going to Arizona."

"Yes, I have a business meeting there this weekend."

"And you're taking Roy?"

"He's from there Dick. I'm trying to do something nice for him." Dick crossed his arms and Bruce sighed. "Dick stop acting like a child."

"Sir, he is a child," Alfred muttered behind him.

"I'm not explaining myself to you."

"Just tell me why Roy gets to go somewhere," Dick pouted.

"You're going on a school trip."

"That's different!" Bruce sighed again.

"Master Dick, this isn't a matter of favoritism," Alfred told him. "I think Master Roy could benefit from a weekend away from Gotham."

"Whatever…."

Alfred shrugged at Bruce as if to say 'well I tried'. The two of them let the conversation drop when Roy came downstairs. "Are you leaving?" he asked Dick.

"Yeah." Dick grabbed his bag and completely ignored Roy as he headed for the door.

"Ok… Bye then!" Dick didn't say anything as he went outside. Roy frowned and looked at Bruce and Alfred. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Master Roy," Alfred assured him. "It's nothing you did." He looked at Bruce. "I'll be back soon sir, to take yourself and Master Roy to the airfield."

"Thank you, Alfred."

Alfred left and Bruce tried to reassure Roy. "Ignore Dick. He's just…acting childish."

"Ok."

"Make sure you're ready to go when Alfred gets back.

"I will."

— —

Tension and fear were crippling Roy's mind when they left the Manor less than an hour later. He focused on breathing as the only place where he was safe from Oliver disappeared. At one point the anxiety got so bad he had to close his eyes and sit back with all his muscles tensed. 'Bruce will keep me safe. Bruce will keep me safe. Bruce will keep me safe.' This mantra didn't really make him feel better. Maybe Bruce would keep him safe while they were in Gotham, but Roy wouldn't have put it past him to just leave him in Phoenix. That way, he wouldn't have to deal with Roy's constant nightmares and problems.

"Master Roy," Alfred said, bringing him out of his head. "We're here sir." Roy swallowed and got out of the car. He grabbed his bag from the trunk, then followed Bruce to the plane. surprisingly, there was no one around. "Try to relax sir. It's only a weekend, but you should have some fun."

"I will Alfred," Roy said.

"We'll see you Sunday, Alfred," Bruce said.

"Yes sir, and," he lowered his voice. "do try to be careful. Should you do something to upset Master Roy, you'll have to fi it on your own."

"I know."

"Try to do something fun with him too."

"I will. See you Sunday."

"See you Sunday, sir."

Bruce and Roy boarded the plane. "I'm going to let the pilot know I'm all set. Take a seat." Roy nodded and sat in a seat near the back. Bruce sat in the middle, close to Roy, but not right next to him. Roy buckled up and looked out the window as the plane took off. The first time he'd ever been on a plane was when he'd flown to Star City with Oliver two years ago. He'd actually liked it since he'd never had an ariel view of the mountains before. The view of Gotham wasn't a nice as the desert, but it was nice in its own way. From above it looked like a normal city. Which had been the same thought he'd had about Star. Eventually, Roy sat back and started doing some of his homework. Bruce didn't try to talk to him during the flight. There would be plenty of time for awkward conversation starters when they were in Phoenix. Unfortunately, the flight was 6 hours. Roy finished his homework halfway through the flight, then went back to looking out the window. Bruce hadn't heard a peep out of him since they'd left Gotham, so he was confused when he heard something quiet. He glanced back at Roy, who was still looking out the window. He listened closely and realized Roy was singing. It was hard to make the words out, and a quick guess told Bruce a lot of them weren't in English. Closer listening told him that he didn't know what language it was. "What language is that?" he asked.

"Huh?!" Roy asked, jumping.

"The song you were singing. What language was it in?"

"Navajo."

"You know songs in Navajo?"

"I know a lot of stuff in Navajo. I can speak it…kind of."

"You can?"

"We were taught in school on the reservation and Brave Bow would speak it sometimes at home. Musicians use it in songs sometimes too."

"Really?"

"….Aoo'. It's really different from English, but it's cool once you get the hang of it. Brave Bow would always roll his eyes though when he heard the music I was listening to though."

"Why?"

Roy shrugged. "It was rock and rap. Even if it was in Navajo, he said it was bad for me. I think he was just being a grumpy old man."

Bruce couldn't really judge since he didn't understand the appeal of rap music himself. "Navajo rap?"

"Aoo'. Like this guy named Shade. He can rap entire songs on Navajo."

"Interesting. Are you fluent?"

"Kind of…but also no? I'd be better if I hadn't left the reservation when I was 12, but I still remember a lot of the grammar rules and stuff like that. It helped that people would use sometimes in the town, so I got used to using it in conversations."

"That's fascinating. Do you miss speaking it?"

"Kind of-" Roy stopped suddenly. This was the first time since Brave Bow died that he'd talked about his home. He looked away, curling up into a ball. 'Stupid,' he thought. 'Stop bothering him. Why should Bruce care about how you grew up?'

Bruce was unsure of why Roy had suddenly gone quiet. 'Did I offend him?' Nothing he'd said stuck out to him. Whatever it was, he let the conversation drop. Despite the abrupt end, he was a little happy he'd had at least a short conversation with Roy. The rest of the flight was spent in silence. Roy didn't sing anymore, almost making Bruce regret bringing it up since he'd been so calm when he was. He glanced back every once in a while to see that Roy was curled up in his seat, staring out at the dark sky. When the finally touched down at a small, private airport just outside of Phoenix, Bruce was relieved. "Stay here," he told Roy as he stood. "I'll make sure the pilot is gone before we get off."

"Ok." Roy waited until Bruce was gone before finally uncurling and unbuckling. He didn't move from his seat though. 'Just try to behave,' he thought. 'You're lucky he didn't get mad because you were talking so much earlier.' Bruce's niceness was starting to get to Roy. 'He brings me on this trip, doesn't get mad at me for talking, what does he want from me?' It made sense. Bruce was being nice because he wanted something from Roy. That was what Oliver had done, wasn't it? Roy spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what Bruce wanted from him. It was a lot harder than he thought, so he didn't have a definitive answer by the time Bruce returned.

"We're all set. It's dark so no one should see us. Come on." Roy grabbed his bag and followed Bruce off the plane. They walked quickly and silently across the tarmac. The residual heat left over from the day was still hanging in the air as they walked. Despite all his misgives about being there, the tension left Roy's shoulders when he took a couple of deep breaths. They got into a car with tinted windows, Roy sitting in the back so he didn't have to be near Bruce. He looked at the ground instead of trying to see out the tinted windows. All he'd see was a place that'd allowed him to fall into Oliver's trap anyways. Once they finally stopped he got out and discovered he was in a parking garage. "Is anyone going to see us?"

"No, it's late, so we should be fine. Besides, this elevator will take us directly into the hotel. I stay here whenever I'm in the area, so they're already expecting me."

"That's good I guess." Roy still looked over his shoulder until they walked into the suite though. Once the door was closed he breathed a little easier.

"Are you hungry?"

"Um…" He could tell Roy was trying to figure out what the right answer was.

"If you're hungry Roy, that's fine."

"I'm not."

Bruce didn't really believe that, but he didn't feel like pushing Roy at the moment. "Ok. You're sleeping in this room." He showed Roy into a smaller, side room where there was an extra bedroom. "I have to leave early tomorrow."

"Ok." Once he was alone Roy dropped his bag and slid the glass door open. He walked onto the balcony and looked out over the city. It was late, but if he stared hard enough he could make out the dark shapes of the mountains in the distance. He went back inside but left the door open a crack. Tired from being so stressed, he changed into his pajamas and went to bed, laying on top of the blankets like he used to do a lot when he was younger. Roy fell asleep actually feeling calm for the first time in a long time.

— —

The next morning Roy was awoken by the bright sunlight. He got out of bed and opened the door up more. The heat immediately hit his face and he relaxed. Now that it was light he could actually see the mountains outside the city, covered in scraggly dots of plants and cacti. Whether or not this trip was just Bruce trying to get something from him, he was glad to be somewhere familiar. He got dressed and wandered cautiously into the main room. True to what Bruce had told him the night before, he was gone. There was a table against some windows with food on it. Roy wandered over to it and picked up a folded piece of paper with his name on it.

Roy,

This food is for you.

Bruce.

Well, Roy was hungry, so he didn't question it. He sat down at the table and started nibbling on the food. He had a good view of the street from this window. It wasn't that exciting though. Like he'd told Bruce, Phoenix wasn't his home. He'd grown up hours away on the reservation. The only thing the city reminded him off was Oliver being nice to him when they'd first met. This thought was so prevalent in his mind, by the time he'd finished eating he closed the drapes, casting the room in a dark red glow. He went through the suite, closing the drapes over every window, except the sliding door in his room. He could still see the city, but this room had a view of the mountains. If he blocked the city out and focused on the mountains he could marginally enjoy himself. Roy sat down in the doorway of the doors with a book and started to read. The hours passed quickly this way, with him reading and enjoying the sun. He was so focused he didn't even hear Bruce come back.

When Bruce walked into the suite he didn't expect all the windows to be covered. He frowned as he set his briefcase down. "Roy?" There was no reply. He went into the side room and found Roy reading by the only open window in the place. "Roy?"

Roy jumped. He turned around, dropping the book. "Hi, I didn't hear you come back."

"I see that."

"You're….um….back early."

"Everything went smoother than I'd anticipated."

"Oh. That's….good."

Bruce sat down at the foot of the bed. "Roy, why are all the drapes closed?"

Roy looked down. "Sorry, I just…. Sorry."

"I just want to know why."

"I just….I kept thinking about how Ollie brought me here when I first met him."

"Oh. I see." Bruce was starting to feel like this had been a bad idea. All he'd done was reminded Roy of Oliver and how he'd been manipulated. Never one to quit though, he decided to try and salvage what was left of his idea. "Since I'm back early, anything, in particular, you'd like to do?"

Roy hesitated, glancing back at the glass door. "Can-Can we go hiking? In the mountains?"

"You want to go hiking?"

"Yeah. Brave Bow used to take me hiking all the time."

The mountains were pretty isolated. No one would see them out there. "Ok. Let me change and we'll go hiking." Once he was alone, Roy jumped to his feet.

'We're really going hiking?!' He couldn't help the excited feeling that started building in his gut. It was so exciting he was actually waiting for Bruce by the door. Bruce almost smiled in amusement. This was the most excited he'd ever seen Roy. He packed water for the two of them in a backpack. "I miss my hiking boots," Roy said so quietly, Bruce was certain he'd been talking to himself. He couldn't help but ask though.

"You used to have hiking boots?"

"Brave Bow and I went hiking so much it just made sense for me to have some. I left them behind when I left."

Bruce didn't say anything else but did file the information away. "You ready?"

Roy nodded and stood up. "Let's go." Getting down to the parking garage was easier than Roy had thought. Bruce's suite was the only one on the floor, so they didn't have to worry about getting caught. They made it down to the car, where the tinted windows provided them with needed privacy.

"Do you know a place we could go?" Bruce asked.

"Cholla Trail, on Camelback Mountain."

"Have you been there before?"

"No, but I've heard people talk about it before."

"Guess it'll be a first time for both of us then." Once they got to Camelback Mountain it didn't take long for them to find the trail. Thankfully, it appeared to be some kind of an off-season, so there wasn't a lot of people around. Once they got on the trail, Bruce decided it wasn't that bad. The slope wasn't that steep at first. At one point the trail got steeper, but Roy was apparently unfazed. Every once in a while, there was a sign that said 'Cholla Trail', confirming that they were going the right way. Bruce wasn't really struggling, even though he was the one carrying the backpack. After about an hour, they reached a point where the trail widened out. Bruce took the opportunity to get some water out. Roy had been carrying some since they started, methodically drinking from it as they climbed. When Bruce stopped he put his empty one in the bag and grabbed a new one.

"Nice view," Roy commented. From his estimate, they were a little more than halfway up. From here he could see the grid-set city of Phoenix.

"I bet it'll be even better from the top."

"Let's go then!" They didn't talk as they moved farther up the trial, mostly because it got significantly harder after that, but it wasn't a problem. The silence was comfortable for once. Despite the fact he was sweating and tried, Roy looked at home on the trial. At one point he stopped to admire something.

"What'd you see?" Bruce asked. He took a deep drink of his water.

"A lizard." He pointed off a few feet. "There's a quail over there." He stopped and cringed. "Sorry I know it's stupid but I thought it was cool."

"It is cool." Roy didn't seem convinced, but he went on hiking like it was fine. At one point they were scaling the peak of the mountain on a thin trail, but he navigated it like a pro, easily finding the best way up. They had to scramble up steep rocks to reach the top, but Roy scaled those with apparent ease as well. Despite having no hiking shoes, he even helped Bruce when he stumbled. It took the billionaire slightly by surprise that Roy willingly reached out to grab his hand, but he took it. Roy didn't flinch or look uncertain. He looked sure of himself, confident where he was leading Bruce was the right way. When they finally reached the top there was no obvious place to sit, so they just sat on the big rocks at the top.

"Whoa…" Roy breathed. The city was laid out before him, stretching into the horizon. He breathed heavily, out of breath, but flying high on the view. It'd been forever since he'd been so high he felt like he could see everything. Like he was standing on top of the world.

Bruce was enjoying the view, though not as much as Roy. He saw Roy lean back on his hands from the corner of his eye. He looked over at his teenage companion and froze. Roy was sitting back on his hands, feet hanging out of the edge of the trail. He was relaxed as he looked out over the city with his face covered in dirt and sweat, and he was smiling. He was actually smiling. His grin was wide and natural, not forced or hiding anything. Roy was just relaxed and happy. Bruce knew he was staring but it was hard to stop. Roy hadn't smiled in front of him once in the 7 months he'd been living with them. Not that Bruce had seen anyways. From some second-hand information, he knew Dick and Alfred had seen Roy smile, but he'd never seen it himself. The teen was just so relaxed and happy right now though. Bruce eventually had to look away, not wanting to mess this up by scaring Roy.

"Thank you for bringing me," Roy said after a few minutes. "I never realized how much I'd missed this."

"You're welcome," Bruce replied, measuring each word carefully. "I'm glad you're having a good time."

"The last time I went hiking…I was with Ollie."

"You really like hiking?"

"I love it. Brave Bow used to take me all the time."

"We could do more stuff like this."

"Really?!"

"It's a good activity for endurance, strength, agility-" Bruce kept talking, but Roy wasn't really listening. He was just enjoying the idea of being able to go on more hikes. "I think there are some mountains that aren't too far from Gotham. I don't know if we'd be able to come back here a lot, but maybe it could still be fun."

"I'd love it." Roy played with his water bottle. "I'm sorry I was so suspicious last night. Guess you were really just….trying to be nice."

"It's fine. You have every right to be suspicious. Oliver tricked you and it's hard to trust people."

Roy looked away. "I've really missed the desert." Bruce smiled. It reminded him of how Dick always seemed to miss the circus. "You should see the view from the mountains on the reservation. You could see the whole town from the mountains Brave Bow used to take me on."

"Maybe someday we can go."

"I'd like that. Did-did you have fun on the hike?"

"I did."

"Good." Roy was quiet for another moment.

Bruce looked at his watch. "We should head back down. It's almost dinner time."

"Ok." They started back down the mountain as the sun started to set. When they were halfway down, Bruce asked, "What do you want for dinner?"

"Um…I don't really have a preference."

"We can have anything you want."

Roy was quiet for a moment. "Pizza?" He hadn't had pizza in years.

"We can have pizza." Roy smiled again, once again catching Bruce by surprise. Twice in one day. This must've been a magical mountain. They actually made it down the mountain faster than they'd made it up. It was dark by the time they'd gotten to the car, but Bruce didn't mind. They went back to the hotel and he ordered pizza for the two of them. "Why don't you check and see if there're any good movies on tv?"

"Ok." Roy turned on the tv and began flipping through the channels It didn't take him long to find a James Bond film, the same one he and Bruce had watched before, and he settled on that. While he was watching the pizza was delivered to their room, but the portion of the room with the tv was hidden from the door's view, so Bruce didn't worry. The two of them spent the rest of the night watching the movie and eating pizza. Roy didn't sit right next to Bruce, instead still sitting on the farthest edge of the couch, but he was relaxed and laughing the whole time.

— —

Roy and Bruce got home before Dick was back from his school trip. Bruce didn't say anything when Roy chose to sit across the aisle from him on the plane, but it'd made his day. The tarmac was deserted for anyone bar Alfred when they got there. Bruce distracted the pilot so Roy could get out and to the safety of the car. "Did you have fun, Master Roy?" Alfred asked him once he was settled in.

"I did," Roy said. "It as great!"

"I'm glad."

Once he was back at the Manor, Roy sent the last couple of hours before Dick got home working out his newest trick arrow designs. He heard someone running down the hall, then stop outside his door. He waited expectantly, wondering if the door would open. It did eventually and Dick poked his head in. "HI," he said cautiously.

"Hi," Roy said. "How was your trip?"

"Fun. How was yours?"

"Fun."

"Really?" Dick opened the door more and came in. He sat on the bed across from Roy. "What did you do?"

"We went on a hike."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. It was really nice. My adoptive dad, Brave Bow, used to take me on hikes all the time. Kind of like how your parents taught you acrobatics. Being able to do it again was great. I really missed the desert too, so it was nice to be back there, even if it was for a couple of days."

Dick lowered his eyes. He suddenly felt bad about being so jealous on Friday. Of course, Roy would've been happy to be going. Wasn't that how he felt when he was visited Haly's? "I'm glad you had a good time."

"Maybe we can go hiking again and you can come with us."

"That'd be cool! Come on, let's go play video games!" He grabbed Roy's hand and dragged him downstairs.

Roy laughed. "Fine, but I'm going to beat you!"

A/N: *Aoo' - Yes


	43. Frustration

When he walked into the Justice League meeting two weeks later, Batman was very aware of the stares he was getting from the others. Not that he particularly cared about what they thought, but it was very different from how he was usually greeted at meetings.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Superman demanded as soon as Batman sat down.

"You have to ask?" Wonder Woman asked skeptically.

"What're you talking about?" Batman asked, knowing exactly what they were referring to. He'd skipped the meeting the previous week for this exact reason.

"You made Roy a vigilante!" Flash yelled. He stood up and Green Lantern put a hand on his shoulder. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Again, I wonder why you have to ask," Wonder Woman said.

"Flash, sit," Superman instructed. Green Lantern pulled the speedster back into his seat while the Man of Steel turned to Batman. "Do you want to give us an explanation?"

"No," Batman responded.

"Now is not the time to be secretive," Martina Manhunter wanted him.

"I don't answer to any of you."

"We answer to each other, that's the point of the League," Superman told him. "Why would you make Roy a vigilante?"

"To help him."

"He's not you," Green Lantern said, a hard edge to his voice.

"I know."

"Explain Batman," Wonder Woman said in a tone that chilled a couple of members. The Amazonian was dangerous when she used that tone of voice. More dangerous than normal at least.

Batman's mouth tightened "I asked," he put emphasis on the word, "Roy if he wanted to be a vigilante. He chose to become one."

"Why?" Superman repeated.

"To prove a point."

"You made him a vigilante, after all the trauma he went through with Green Arrow, to prove a point?" Flash asked carefully.

"The trauma Green Arrow caused is exactly why I did this. Roy has always believed that it was wrong to kill criminals. It was this attitude, his resistance and questioning, that frequently caused Oliver to beat him senseless. I offered to let Roy become a vigilante in Gotham to show him that my way works. That there was a good reason for him to resist Oliver. So that when he looks back he can know he was in the right and Oliver was the one who was wrong." No one said anything. "I have made it very clear to him that if he wants to stop at any point he can. I'm not making him do anything, this is completely his decision and what he wants."

"Why though?" Aquaman asked. "After the horrible things Green Arrow forced him to take part in, why would he want to re-live that?"

"Why did he become a vigilante in the first place?" Flash asked. Everyone looked at Batman.

"I won't tell you why," Batman said. "That's his business. I will tell you that his reasons were noble. He's a good person and he just wants to help people. That hasn't changed. Queen wasn't able to beat that out of him."

Despite his misgivings about this, Superman was amused to see how attached Batman had become to Roy. "Just be careful," he advised. "We didn't get him away from Green Arrow just to have him fighting for our side."

"I know. Have you been eavesdropping on Queen?

"Yes. He's not planning anything."

"Maybe he's finally given up," Flash said optimistically. He hoped so. It'd be great to finally say they could put the archer behind them.

"We could hope so."

As per the usual, Batman was the pessimist of the group. "I don't think so," he growled.

"Do you always have to look on the negative side?"

"I look on the realistic side. If Queen's coming after Roy I want to know and be prepared." Again, Superman was amused by how attached Batman had clearly gotten. Batman's comm beeped. "What?"

"The Bat signal is up," Robin said.

"I'll be there soon."

"Trouble in Gotham?" Superman asked as Batman stood up. He said nothing in reply and simply left the room.

Despite his belief that the League had no say in what happened in Gotham, it was easier if they approved of Arsenal. The last thing he wanted was any of them coming into his city and trying to stop him; or, God forbid, moving Roy to another city because of this. He was surprised that they'd accepted it so readily, considering how long it had taken them to accept Robin. He was also surprised Roy's work as Arsenal went as well as it did. The teen was efficient and did exactly what he was told in the field. His ability to disable guns from a distance had proven to be extremely useful. The trick arrows were used well and only when necessary. All in all, this was going far better than Batman had expected it to. Unfortunately, it wasn't giving him the results he wanted. Not that he'd expected it to work automatically, but Roy still had nightmares every night and his confidence hadn't improved. It was unfortunate, and frustrating, which Batman noted as he left through the zeta. These thoughts were gone from his mind by the time he went to go pick up the boys though. There was crime to stop, and that's what they needed to focus on for the moment.

"What'd you think's going on?" Robin asked as he hijacked the police radio frequency.

"We'll know soon," Batman said.

"Do you think it could be the gang we've been tracking?" Arsenal asked quietly, which surprised Batman. He didn't usually contribute a lot of conversation on patrol.

"Could be. We've derailed their last three attempts to get any major arms. They could be striking back out of retaliation although most groups of this nature choose not to draw excessive police attention to themselves."

"That would make sense. We still don't know what they want those semiautomatic weapons for."

"That's true. They're too bulky for the normal activities they'd be partaking in."

"So, this could be them for all we know."

"Bank robbery," Robin said suddenly as the information came in over his comm. "Someone is robbing the First National Bank of Gotham." He paused for a minute. "Didn't we just stop a robbery there two months ago?"

"Yes," Batman agreed. "We did."

"Penguin was- Do you think it's him again?"

"Gordon hasn't told me about anyone breaking out of Arkham recently."

"Well it's been 3 weeks, I'd say we're about due."

Batman simply clenched his fists. While Penguin was one of the…less dangerous of the Arkham inmates, but he was still more dangerous than the average criminal. "Stay sharp," he told them. "We'll go in from the roof." He parked the Batmobile on a back street and within minutes the three of them were on the rooftops.

It was hard for Arsenal to stop the anxious feeling that was clawing at his mind. 'Focus,' he told himself sternly. 'Stay focused on what you're doing. Don't be incompetent.' He could hear the police cars and see the light bouncing off the buildings before they even reached the bank. 'Good thing this isn't a residential area.' They stopped on the building next to the bank.

"What're we doing?" Robin asked.

"Robin, I want you and Arsenal to find a way into the building."

"Got it."

"Arsenal?"

"Yes, Batman," the archer said quietly. He followed Robin to the roof of the bank, moving with easy stealth. "How're we getting in?"

"Right here," Robin whispered. He crouched next to the edge of the building and lowered himself down. Arsenal stowed his bow on his back, momentarily grateful Batman had designed it that way and followed him. They carefully climbed down the side of the building until they'd reached a window. "Hold my cape." Gripping a ledge with one of his strong hands, Arsenal used his other hand to hold onto Robin's cape.

"Why?"

"In case I fall." That suddenly made Arsenal very anxious. Robin's life was in his hands. If he messed up his friend would die. Granted this was a usual feeling when they were on patrol, but it had never been so literal. Robin meanwhile was working to get the window open. He used the edge of a bat-a-rang to pry the window open. It was clear no one had tried to open it in years. He dug the sharp edge of the weapon into the slim opening further. "Almost there…" The window creaked open and they both froze.

"That's not good."

"No." Robin examined the opening which was a little less than a foot wide. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but it'll do." Arsenal released his cape and Robin pulled himself up, then lowered himself down into the building. Arsenal followed, easily lowering himself down with his upper body strength. He couldn't see where he was landing, so he had to feel with his toes to find a stable ledge. It was only a few inches wide, so he had to balance on his heels and put his hands on the ceiling to brace himself. Robin was apparently just able to balance with natural ease. "My holo-glove is picking up body heat signatures near the vault," he whispered into his comm. "Let's go." He moved along the ledge, slowly mapping their way to the vault. Arsenal followed just as slow, careful to not lose his footing.

They eventually made it to a wall and Robin dropped down to the floor. Arsenal followed, landing silently beside him. They were in an office that likely belonged to one of the bank higher-ups. The two, young vigilantes crept out of the room and into a wide hallway. "Do you know the layout?" Arsenal whispered, securing an arrow to his bowstring.

"Yes. This isn't the first time this bank has been broken into. Especially by Penguin." They turned another corner and Robin stopped. Arsenal stopped right after him, now that he was getting used to working with Batman and Robin. He stayed silent and still while Robin did a quick survey of the area.

"Move down towards the vault," Batman said, appearing suddenly behind the two. He disappeared again and the two moved down the hall. They quickly discovered a large, marble staircase that led to the first floor. Arsenal slipped an arrow out of his quiver and nocked it to his bow. He kept his bow drawn and ready as they moved down the staircase. He moved his gaze back and forth, ready to shoot the first bad guy he saw. Robin tilted his head in a 'this way' motion. They moved around the right side of the staircase once they were on the first floor. It led them to a narrow hall that opened into a wide room. Arsenal dropped his arrow hand down and pressed himself against the wall. They moved silently, sneaking up on the robbers. Once they were right around the corner from the vault, they were rejoined by Batman. Arsenal had gotten used to Batman doing things like this. The three of them turned the corner and immediately, two Batarangs and an arrow flew through the air.

One bat-a-rang hit a stack of cash, knocking out of the crook's hand, while the second one hit a second crook in the arm. The arrow hit a stack of money as well, knocking it to the ground. Arsenal had seen pictures of Penguin in the cases he'd studied, but suddenly faced with someone who was an Arkham inmate was a little intimidating. Even if that person was short and dressed in a suit.

"Batman," Penguin snarled. "So nice of you to join us."

"Give yourself up Penguin," Batman said. "The police have the bank surrounded."

"Ha! As if." The seven men who were around Penguin suddenly started doing forward.

"Split up." Batman, Robin, and Arsenal all moved in three opposite directions. Robin moved to one side while Arsenal moved to the other. He shot off an electroshock arrow close enough to one of the men to get his attention. He kept moving backward, shooting arrows to draw their attention. He'd successfully drawn the attention of three of the men, while Batman and Robin were each facing off against two. 'Not very fair odds,' he noted silently. The men were bigger than him by several inches and way stronger. 'I can take them.' He dodged the first man who came at him, driving his bow up into the man's face. He stumbled back in pain and Arsenal grabbed an arrow. He shot an arrow at the feet of the man closest to the wall. The man kept backing up until his back hit the wall and Arsenal quickly fired a glue arrow. The arrow hit his arm and the glue exploded over the appendage; trapping him. He barely had time to react before one of the guys behind him grabbed his arm. He twisted the teen's arm behind him, which sent all too familiar feelings of panic to his brain.

'Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic,' he chanted in his head as he reached for an arrow in his quiver. 'It's not Ollie. It's not Ollie. It's not Ollie.' He found an electroshock arrow and jumped up. There was the familiar tweak of a muscle spraining in his arm, but he managed to dig the arrowhead into the man's neck. The grip on his arm loosened in a second and he broke the weak grasp, then flipped over the man's shoulder. He pounced on the back of the man and pulled his bow against his neck. He pulled the bow against his windpipe until he brought the stunned man down. The third one pulled out a gun, but that just made Arsenal smile. He dodged several bullets, shooting an arrow down the barrel of the gun while he was on the move. The man stared at his now useless weapon in confusion, giving Arsenal the opportunity he needed to smash his bow into the man's head. He kicked him in the stomach, then sidestepped the man's sloppy attempt to punch him.

Arsenal tripped the man, letting him fall, then trapping him with a glue arrow. The man glared at him, but Arsenal was unaffected by his malice. Working quickly, he handcuffed the men so they couldn't cause any more trouble. He ran over to Robin, who was still fighting his two guys. His back was turned to one of them, who suddenly pulled a gun from under his jacket. Arsenal didn't think; he shot. The arrow was on his bow, then in the air before the man could realize what was happening. The arrow hit the man's hand, knocking the gun out of it. Robin spun around, then smiled his thanks to Arsenal. He finished taking down the man he'd been fighting, flipping up onto his shoulders and using the momentum to pull him to the ground. The force knocked the man unconscious, then he handcuffed the two men.

"Let's go help Batman," Robin said. The two of them ran to Batman's aid just as his last opponent went down. "You normally have more goons than this Penguin."

Penguin glared at him. The sack of money he was holding suddenly spilled open when an arrow cut it. "What-" He stopped when he saw Arsenal, actually seeing the teen for the first time. "You got another one?! One Robin wasn't enough for you?!"

"Hey!" Robin objected as the three of them attacked him. He punched Penguin in the face. "I'm the one and only!"

"I'm Arsenal!" Arsenal stated, shooting a glue arrow at the ground in front of the villain. He ran straight into the glue and fell.

"Robin, you and Arsenal go tell Commissioner Gordon we have Penguin and his men apprehended," Batman said.

Robin did a backflip and Arsenal followed him towards the front door. Robin opened it, shouting, "Don't shoot! It's Robin!"

"Guns down!" Gordon yelled to his men. The last thing he needed was for one of his officers to shoot Robin or Arsenal.

"We have Penguin apprehended!" He and Arsenal stepped aside as Batman walked Penguin out of the bank. Several officers came forward to take him to the transport van.

"Several of Penguin's men are unconscious and handcuffed by the vault," Batman said Gordon.

"Captain, take some men to the vault," Gordon instructed. "Good work Batman."

"Ahem," Robin coughed.

Commissioner Gordon smiled. "You too, Robin and Arsenal."

"Let's go," Batman said to the boys. As they grappled up into the rooftops, no one noticed one of the officers taking a picture of the three of them. Consequently, he also didn't notice Penguin watching Arsenal. A smile crept across the villain's face. Looks like he had some news to tell the others once he was back in Arkham. Meanwhile, Batman, Robin, and Arenal had arrived back at the Bat-mobile.

"You just handled your first real Arkham inmate," Robin said as they got in the Bat-mobile. "Good job."

'What about Catwoman?" Arsenal asked in confusion.

"Cat woman isn't in the same league as people like Penguin, or Scarecrow, or Joker. Actually, no one's in the same league as Joker."

Arsenal blinked. He'd yet to meet the Joker after only being on the streets for two weeks, but he was fine with that. Everything he'd heard or read about the psychotic clown had told him he could live without meeting him. Realistically, he knew it would be inevitable, but that didn't mean he had to look forward to it. "It seemed like Penguin didn't have a lot of goons with him."

"He usually has more. I think he was just really excited to rob something after breaking out of Arkham, so he probably didn't have time to get a whole bunch of guys."

"That would make sense I guess."

"He was really surprised to see you! It was great! You surprise everyone!"

"That won't last forever."

"I know, but while you're still a surprise and it's great! They definitely don't expect your skills."

Arsenal looked down at his bow. "I'm not that good."

"Don't say that you're amazing!"

"You're better than I am at fighting and figuring things out."

"True, but I've been doing it for 2 years. Someday you'll be as good as me." The conversation honestly almost made Batman smile. Almost. This was one of the positive aspects of having Arsenal around: he kept Robin company. They got back to the Bat cave and the two boys were still talking as they walked off to change. Batman left to continue his patrol as usual. The boys went upstairs and ate cookies while debating tactics to beat a rough spot in a video game they'd been playing. Alfred sent them to bed and Roy shut himself in his room. He laid down under the covers with the lights on, staring up at his ceiling. Exhaustion was pulling his eyes shut, but fear of his nightmares was pulling them open more forcefully.

'I need to sleep,' he told himself silently. 'I need to sleep. I need to sleep.' The mantra wasn't helping though. After an hour he was still in the same position, staring at the ceiling in a haze. He sighed and threw the blankets back. "I'm not going to sleep," he decided, sitting up. Two weeks of being a vigilante and he was still having terrible dreams. Which was how he found himself sitting at his desk and getting ahead on his school work. At one point he shut off his big light and kept his desk light on. His eyes burned after a couple of hours, but he didn't care. Anything was better than nightmares. On the plus side, Alfred seemed pleasantly surprised Roy was eager enough to get ahead, but the definite negative side was that patrol suddenly became a lot harder. Roy's arm was still injured and it was hard to concentrate when he was so tired. He was used to patrolling when it was hard to concentrate, but he really didn't want to disappoint Bruce. If he started messing up, it would only prove to Bruce that he didn't deserve to be treated well. Neither of these things really became a problem for a couple of days.

"Let's go upstairs!" Dick said to Roy, just as the teen was hanging his quiver up. It was Friday, so Dick was usually energized and insisting they stay up late after patrol. "Let's go!" He grabbed Roy's arm and pulled him, causing Roy to cry out in pain. Dick let go immediately and gave him a worried look. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…" Roy said. He held his arm close.

"May I look at your arm Master Roy?" Alfred asked, always the composed one.

"It's fine, Alfred."

"Roy," Bruce said sternly. "Let Alfred look at your arm."

"But-"

"Roy." He was probably being a little harsher than necessary, but it had been a long day and he was tired.

"Yes, Bruce."

Alfred gently corralled Roy over to the Bat Cave's infirmary. "Please sit on the table sir," he said. Roy hopped up while Dick stood next to the table. Alfred took Roy's arm gently and examined it. There was some bruising along the inner forearm, but nothing too deep or dark. The arm was swollen when compared to the other one. "Are you having trouble using your arm, sir?"

"Not really," Roy muttered.

"Does it hurt to use it?"

"Yes."

"Have you been having any spasms or cramping in the muscle?"

"Some spasms…"

"What's the diagnosis, Alfred?" Bruce asked, walking in.

"I don't think it's broken. An x-ray shouldn't be necessary. I think he has a muscle sprain. Some ice and rest and he'll be fine."

"When did you hurt your arm?"

"A few days ago," Roy answered quietly.

"You strained your arm a few days ago and you still used your bow?"

"Didn't that hurt?" Dick asked.

Roy shifted uncomfortably while Alfred wrapped a compression bandage up his forearm. "Yeah, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I've patrolled with a sprained arm or wrist and broken fingers or ribs before." Dick's eyes were so wide they practically popped out of his head.

"Roy," Bruce said, sounding more irritated than he meant to. "If you're injured you need to tell Alfred or me."

"I'm really fine-"

"Understood?"

Roy shrunk down a little. "Understood."

"You are not to patrol for a few days sir," Alfred informed Roy, putting some pain medicine in his other hand. "Nor are you to use your bow at all. I expect you to rest and allow your arm time to properly heal."

Roy nodded and swallowed the pills quickly, a little fried they'd be taken away. "Yes, Alfred."

"Come on Roy, you can watch me play the game," Dick said, grabbing his friend's non-injured wrist.

"I don't want to just watch you!" Roy objected as he followed. "I can still play!"

"Alfred said you need to rest."

"He didn't say I couldn't play video games."

Dick smiled mischievously. It definitely wasn't like Roy to find a loophole in something someone told him. "Fine. If we get caught though, it's your fault."

"Alright." The two of them settled down in Dick's room and started playing. It was a little difficult and slightly painful for Roy to play, but as the pain medicine kicked in it became easier. A sprained muscle was only a minor inconvenience for him. They played for several hours until Alfred sent them both to bed, insisting that they needed rest. Roy did go to bed but was woke only a couple of hours later in a cold sweat and his heart pounding against his ribs. After that he stayed up, once again trying to get ahead with his school work. Unfortunately, his strange sleep schedule was exacerbating his mental state. The very next morning at breakfast, he was more withdraw then usual, prompting concern from Dick.

"Are you ok Roy?" Dick asked. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Roy assured him. He kept eating, hoping Bruce wouldn't notice or comment on his obviously sleep deprived state. He was so out of it and trying to look normal that he forced himself to eat all of his breakfast, even though he wasn't that hungry. His stomach started churning, prompting him to leave the dining room. He moved as calmly and normally as possible, but once he was out of sight of Bruce and Dick, he ran upstairs. Despite his sprint, he barely made it to the bathroom before he started throwing up. The coughing and hacking made his whole body shake. Once he was finished he sat down and leaned against the wall.

"Are you alright, sir?" Alfred asked.

"I'm sorry."

"Master Roy, I thought we had discussed how you don't need to eat everything on your plate."

"I just….I'm sorry."

Alfred sighed and gently felt the teen's forehead. "I think I should start giving you smaller portions-"

"No! Please don't take my food! Please, Alfred, I'll be good-"

"Master Roy." Roy went silent. "I'm not taking food away from you because I'm trying to punish you. I merely think that for now, I should give you smaller portions so you don't make yourself sick. If you want more, you can always ask for more."

"I can?"

"Have I lied or tried to trick you in the 7 months you've been living here?"

"…No."

"Ok then. Come now, you should lay down."

Roy got up and Alfred guided him gently to his bed. As he passed his bedroom door he noticed Bruce standing just outside it. When Roy passed Bruce left, but not before the teen could see the irritated look on his face. Roy swallowed and curled up under his blankets. 'Just try to be good,' he told himself mentally. 'Just try to be good.' He laid in bed, staring at the wall for a couple of hours before Dick came in.

"Are you sick?" he asked.

"No. Alfred wanted me to lay down."

"Probably because you look so tired."

"I feel fine." Roy sat up. "Why'd you come in here?"

"I wanted to see if you would come train with me."

"Ok." Roy got up and followed Dick downstairs to the gym. The two of them sparred until lunch time. Alfred walked in and cleared his throat. "Master Roy. What did I say about resting your arm?"

Roy looked down. "Sorry."

"It is time for lunch. When you've finished I expect you to do something that will allow you to rest your arm."

"Yes, Alfred." Roy did notice that he was given less food than usual, not a lot, but a small amount. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't stop the voice in his head telling him it was because he was misbehaving. The anxiety was filling his brain and there was only one thing he could think to do to make it better. So, after lunch, he went downstairs to the cave where Bruce had set up the range for him to use. He practiced his archery for hours without stopping. He was so absorbed in his task that he didn't notice Bruce sneaking up on him. Bruce shook his head when he saw Roy. Of all the things for him to disobeying Alfred over, it as practicing his archery. He was about to go over and make Roy stop when something made him freeze. Roy and shot another arrow, but it landed a little off. It hadn't hit the target at all. Roy froze as well. His breath hitched a little, but he was so tired and his brain so foggy that he simply dropped his arms and turned around. Bruce hid in the shadows as Roy passed.

'He shouldn't have been that calm,' Bruce thought. There was an obvious answer. The tired look. The dark circles under his eyes. The delayed and subdued reaction. Bruce rubbed his face and waited until he was certain Roy was gone until he went upstairs so he could talk to Alfred.

— —

Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes. "He missed the target, Alfred."

"I don't see why this is such a big deal, sir," Alfred responded, placing a cup of tea in front of Bruce. "Besides him not resting. None of us are perfect."

"Roy never misses Alfred. I expected him to have a panic attack or something but he just stood there blinking!"

"You're unhappy that he didn't have a panic attack?"

"He's only half-awake Alfred!" Bruce sighed again. "He's not sleeping."

"Master Bruce-"

"Please just go get Roy and bring him here."

"Only if you count to 10 while I'm gone." Bruce did his best, but his frustration was budding too quickly. He knew he needed to calm down, but he couldn't. By the time Roy knocked hesitantly and opened the door, Bruce had just barely managed to keep his cool.

"You wanted to see me?" If he wasn't concentrating on stay clam Bruce might've noticed Roy didn't sound as scared as he normally did.

"Have you been sleeping?" Bruce asked, taking his normal route and just being blunt.

"I- sleeping?"

"Yes, Roy." Bruce's tone made Roy's muscles tense. "Have you been sleeping?"

"I- I-"

"Answer me." Try as hard as he might, Roy couldn't help but hear those words echoing in his head; just in Oliver's voice.

"No…" Bruce sighed and Roy took a step back, which he noticed.

"Don't back away, Roy. You're 15, you need to learn to not shy away from your problems." Roy wanted to run. He wanted to crawl under his bed and hide, but he stayed rooted to his spot. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I'm sorry-"

"You can't be that sorry!" Bruce snapped as he stood up. "We're trying to help you, but you won't help yourself! Why won't you take care of yourself?! You won't sleep! You won't eat properly! You won't tell us when you're hurt!" Roy flinched, but Bruce didn't notice. He wanted to run away, but then he remembered what Bruce had said and forced himself to stay.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he thought. 'I'm so stupid, why do I have to keep messing things up?! Why am I so awful?!' In his panic, Roy saw Bruce taking a step towards him and he fell back in his panic. Bruce didn't seem to notice.

"I don't understand Roy! Why won't you just listen?!" Bruce heard a noise that made him freeze. It was a whimper. A very frightened whimper. He looked down and his heart stopped. Roy was on the ground, staring up at him in fear. He was tense and his arms were up by his head. Something cold gripped his stomach. Roy was cowering from him. Roy was afraid of him. He took a deep breath and a literal step back. 'What am I doing?' he thought. He was yelling at Roy because the teen was scared of his nightmares. Nightmares Roy couldn't control. Not just that, but other things as well. His eating habits and his inability to report an injury. Bruce cursed himself. He was yelling at Roy for things he couldn't control. For things, he did because he was traumatized. He might as well have been yelling at Roy for being traumatized! 'Even worse,' he realized, watching as Roy's eyes never left him, 'I'm yelling at him because I'm frustrated. I'm taking my frustration out on him. Just like Oliver used to.' He rubbed his face. 'Calm down Wayne. You need to calm down.' He turned to Roy and crouched down, reaching out to him. "Roy-" He froze when Roy flinched. "Roy-"

"I'm sorry," Roy whimpered. He shrunk down even more. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It's ok."

"I'll sleep. I'll sleep I promise."

"Roy-"

"I'll sleep. I'll sleep, I'll sleep-" Roy just kept repeating it, not even listening to Bruce. Bruce sighed and put his hands on Roy's shoulders, ignoring the violent flinch. Roy went deathly silent, staring at Bruce with wide eyes.

"Roy, calm down. Please, just…..calm down. Breathe. In…Out…In…Out…" Roy tried to focus on his breathing.

"I'm sorry…."

"You have no reason to be sorry."

"I was bad. I misbehaved-"

"No!" Roy's breathing hitched and Bruce made himself back-off, literally. He removed his hands and put at least a foot of space between them. "You did do something wrong. You should've been sleeping, but I should know that your nightmares are scaring you and that you can't control them."

Roy swallowed. "I'm sorry. I'll be good."

"I know."

"I'll sleep, I promise." Roy pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Do you really think I'm going to hurt you?" Roy nodded. "Why?"

"I-I made you mad."

"No, Roy. I'm frustrated, but not at you. I'm frustrated with the situation, which is still no excuse. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. That was wrong."

"No, it's not."

Bruce blinked. "Why do you say that?"

'He's really going to make me explain it?' Roy thought. He looked down. "You-you helped me. You took me in. I owe you, so you can treat me any way you want." Horror really wasn't the word to describe how Bruce felt. It wasn't nearly strong enough.

"No, Roy. Look at me." Roy lifted his head. "You do not owe me. Do you understand? You do not owe me. I took you in because it was the right thing to do. I do not want anything from you. It also doesn't give me the right to treat you any way I want. You deserve to be treated with respect and decency." Roy didn't look convinced, which really broke Bruce's heart. "You don't owe me anything, Roy."

"I should've known it would make you mad though."

"Even if it did, I should've controlled myself."

Roy shook his head. "I knew my nightmares were bothering you and I should've tried harder to sleep." This whole conversation just kept getting more and more depressing. "I'll try to stop being so bad, I promise."

"Roy…" Bruce took a deep breath. "Yes, I want you to sleep, and eat properly, and tell us when you're hurt, you should be doing all those things. However, I need to remember that you can't control all your actions."

"I'm trying…."

"I know you are."

"I'll be good, I promise."

Bruce sighed. "You can go. Try to get some rest."

"Yes, sir." Roy left quickly and Bruce got up off the ground.

'I'm in no way qualified to handle this,' he thought. 'Roy needs help. He needs psychological help and I don't know what to do.' Bruce wasn't usually in situations where he didn't know what to do, but he really, really didn't like it.

— —

Meanwhile, Roy was upstairs, hiding under his bed. He was curled around his bow, trying to stop shaking. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he thought. 'I'm so stupid. Why do I have to ruin everything?! Why can't I just behave?!' A knock on his door made him flinch and brought him out of his thoughts.

"Master Roy," Alfred said. "May I come in?"

"Y-yes," Roy replied. The door opened and he saw Alfred's feet enter. They stopped next to his bed.

"Are you ok young sir?"

"I-I don't know…."

"I heard Master Bruce yelling." Roy didn't say anything. "He didn't mean it, sir, I'm sure."

"I misbehaved, Alfred."

"Yes, you did, but Master Bruce should've controlled his own temper better."

Roy pulled his bow tighter. "I hate this…."

"Hate what, sir?"

"Being scared. I don't like worrying if Bruce is going to hurt me."

"He's not going to sir."

"I want to believe that. I really do, but I just….I always freak out and I can't control my reactions. I can't stop myself from having nightmares or convince myself that it's ok to tell you if I'm hurt. I thought I was getting better, but then I do something like this and I just…."

"Master Roy, you had a bad day. There will be bad days sir, but that doesn't mean you're still not getting better."

"I don't want to be scared all the time."

"I know. You need to focus on all the good progressions we've seen so far. You've healed physically. You allow Master Dick to give you hugs and comfort you when you need it. You usually have good eating habits. You've been brave enough to start fighting crime again. One bad day doesn't erase all your progress, sir."

"Why can't I just be better? Why can't I control my reactions?"

"I know this seems long and slow, but you can overcome this. I have absolute faith in you."

Roy blinked in confusion. "You do?"

"I do, sir."

"Oh…thanks Alfred."

"Of course. Are you ready to come out?"

"…not really."

"Very well, sir. I shall send master Dick to retrieve you when it's time for dinner."

"Ok." Roy stared at his carpet while Alfred left. 'I don't want to misbehave,' he thought sadly. 'I want to be good and happy and safe.' He blinked and pulled his bow even closer to his body. 'I want to be safe. I want to feel safe.' If only he could align his brain with what he wanted and what he was capable of.


	44. Arsenal Meets the Black Canary

A/N: Now for a chapter some of you have been asking about. Another character joins the mix. Enjoy.

"Are you excited?!" Robin asked as Arsenal adjusted his quiver.

"Why? It's my first night back as Arsenal?"

"No! You're going to meet the Justice League!"

Arsenal frowned. "I've already met them."

"Yeah, but you didn't really meet them. You were too scared last time."

"That's true I guess." Arsenal looked away and Robin frowned.

"Are you still scared to meet them?"

"….I don't know." Which was the truth. Woking with Batman had shown him that pretty much everything Oliver had ever told him about the Justice League was false. Batman was brutal, yes, but he never killed and he wasn't as heartless as Roy had been led to believe. Which made him more open to meeting the other members of the League. It still couldn't prevent him from feeling nervous about this trip. 'At least Aqualad will be there. Maybe I can spar with him again. I really liked that.'

"We also get to meet the new League members."

"Do you know who they are?"

"No, I haven't figured out how to hack into that part of the Bat-computer yet."

Arsenal smiled. "Yet," Robin smirked at him.

"Arsenal, Robin, let's go," Batman said, sweeping past the two.

Robin whooped and did a backflip. "To the Bat-mobile!"

'The Justice League are the good guys,' Arsenal thought. 'The Justice League are the good guys. They won't hurt me. They won't hurt me.' Just like with everything though, he wanted to believe it, but part of his brain wasn't on board with the program. The trip to the zeta tube was short, not giving him a lot of time to convince himself this was ok. When they slipped through the fence, Batman authorized for the two of them to get through, then let them go through first.

"Robin, B01."

"Arsenal, B04."

"Batman, 02."

Hearing his own name announced by the automated voice made Arsenal falter a little bit. They were met by Superman, who gave him a warm smile when his name was announced. "Arsenal," Superman said. "It's good to see you."

Arsenal swallowed. "Hi Superman," he replied quietly.

"How've you been?"

"Good." Superman didn't move to touch him, which Arsenal really appreciated. Batman noticed as well and gave Superman a nod. Their attention was drawn by more heroes arriving.

"Kid Flash, B02."

"Flash, 04."

"Hi, Rob!" Kid Flash shouted right before he tackled Robin to the ground.

"Hi KF," Robin muttered. In one smooth motion, he flipped their positions so he was the one pinning Kid Flash to the ground.

"Aqualad, B03."

"Aquaman, 06."

"Hello R- Arsenal," Aqualad said. "Apologies, I was only recently informed you have taken on a new hero identity."

"It's ok," Arsenal replied.

"Are we last?" Aquaman asked.

"You are," Superman nodded.

"Woo! We weren't last!" Flash cheered. He and Kid Flash high-fived, with Kid Flash still on the ground, making Batman roll his eyes.

"Let's go," Superman told the group. "The new inductees to the League have met all of us, except you three-" Batman cleared his throat. "You four."

"They get to meet us?" Kid Flash asked in curiosity. They'd never been allowed to be so involved with the League before.

"Given….past events, we have decided it is best for the League to see how our members react to being around young heroes."

Robin noticed the look the mentors shared. 'AKA,' he thought as they walked towards the League meeting room, 'They want to weed out any potential Green Arrows that would hurt one of us.' He didn't end being used a guinea pig because it meant he could spend more time around the Justice League, but he didn't like Arsenal being used as one. 'Definitely, have to talk to Batman about this.' They entered the room and Robin's attention was immediately drawn to the two people in the room with wings. Arsenal on the other hand immediately noticed someone else. A woman in all black with long, blonde hair. She looked a little different and harder to identify, but it was definitely her. Robin heard Arsenal's breathing get shallow real quick. 'This is why it was a bad idea.' He looked at his friend. "Are you ok?" he whispered.

Arsenal took a long breath. "I don't know…." he breathed.

"Arsenal, what's wrong?" Batman asked. He knew the teen would be nervous about the meeting, but he hadn't expected him to react like this.

"Nothing-"

"Arenal."

"…..Her."

"Who?" If someone in the room was giving a member of his team a panic attack, Batman wanted to know about it. By this point, they'd attracted the attention of the other members of the Justice League, as well as the new inductees.

"The blonde woman."

"Black Canary?"

"Yes." Everyone looked at the woman in question, who gave Arsenal a strange look.

"I've never met either of Batman's sidekicks," she said in confusion.

"She dated…him."

Flash gave her a look of shock. "You dated Green Arrow?!" he demanded. The new Green Lantern gave her a judgmental look.

"I- I did not!" Black Canary replied. "I would never go near that psycho!"

"Are you sure?" Batman growled, not willing to take any chances. If it was true, he wondered how they could've missed something like this.

"Of course I'm sure. I lived in Star City briefly but the only person I dated was-" She froze as something occurred to her. The only person she'd dated in Star was Oliver Queen. The only people who'd known about it was Oliver Queen himself and his ward. A certain red-haired teenager who looked awfully similar to the masked teen in front of her…. She gasped. "Roy Harper?!"

Batman growled, pushing Arsenal behind him and Robin's hand dropped down to his utility belt. Superman put his hand on Batman's shoulder. "Let's all calm down," he advised.

"Robin, Arsenal, Kid Flash, Aqualad….you four leave," Wonder Woman told them. The four boys didn't bother to put up a fight. Robin grabbed Arsenal's hand and led him straight out of the room. Once the four of them were gone the current members of the League rounded on Black Canary.

"What exactly was your relationship with Oliver Queen?" Batman growled.

"I dated him for 4 months when I lived in Star a year ago," Black Canary responded, starting to feel like she was missing something very important.

"Why did you break up with him?" Superman asked. "Why did you leave Star?"

"It's not really any of your guys' business-"

"Your membership in the League hinges on your answers," Green Lantern warned her. "If I were you, I'd start talking." John Stewart gave him a long look.

Black Canary sighed. "Oliver was very…..controlling. He wanted to know where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing all the time. He was insanely jealous and accused me of cheating on him several times. One time, he saw me talking with a male co-worker and accused me of sleeping with him."

"This didn't raise any red flags?" Superman asked.

"It did. I was offered a job in Seattle and it was this behavior that made me seriously consider taking it. The night I told him I wanted to leave and we got into a huge fight. He hit me-"

"He hit you?" Wonder Woman hissed, causing Flash and Green Lantern, who was standing on either side of her, to take three steps backward.

"Yes. He hit me, so I broke his nose and left. I moved to Seattle the following week and never looked back."

"That's it?" Batman asked. "That's all that happened?"

"Yes. What does this have to do with anything?"

"What were your interactions with Roy like?"

Black Canary frowned. "With Roy? Nothing really. I hardly talked to him."

"You dated Oliver for four months, but you never talked to Roy?" She glared at him, clearly unafraid.

"I didn't say we never talked. Oliver didn't bring me to his home often, and when we did, Roy usually chose to stay in his room." Batman highly doubted he'd chosen that. "When I did talk to him it was only for a few minutes and he was really shy." She crossed her arms. "What I want to know is why he was apparently kidnapped by the Justice League!"

"You really don't know?" Flash asked her. She glared at him, in a way that was eerily similar to Iris, and he sighed. "First thing you should know is that Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow."

"No, he's not."

"Yes, he is."

"No, he's not."

"He is," Batman said. "He's the Green Arrow."

Black Canary blinked, surveying the looks on the current League members' faces.. "You guys are serious?"

"Very," Superman nodded.

"Oh my god, I dated the Green Arrow. Then that means Roy was-"

"Speedy," Batman confirmed. "Yes."

"That still doesn't explain what he's doing here."

"Oliver was abusing Roy."

"Abuse?" John Stewart asked. "You kidnapped this kid because of abuse? Why didn't you call the authorities?"

Hal grimaced. "We considered it," he explained, "but he was a vigilante, as was Roy. We didn't want word getting out that this kid was Speedy. He would've been in way more danger."

"If Oliver was abusing Roy, I would've known it," Black Canary said.

"Are you sure?" Batman asked her. "You just admitted you barely saw him."

"If you don't believe us, then see for yourself," Flash said. Literally, before anyone could stop him, the speedster ran over to a computer and brought up one of the videos of Roy. The inductees moved closer to the holographic screen, as the video started playing. It was the video of Oliver beating Roy with his belt. John Stewart's fist tightened and his ring started glowing. Hawkman and Hawkwoman started glaring. Their grips on their weapons got tighter. Black Canary, while angry, was mostly shocked. Superman actually stopped the video halfway through, not wanting to put their current members through watching it again.

"That's only a glimpse into what Oliver did to Roy. Among other things, he starved him, beat him almost daily, manipulated him into becoming a vigilante, and tried to force him into becoming a killer."

"Sounds like a real stand up member of society," John Stewart muttered.

Black Canary covered her mouth with her hand. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I was there. I was around them." Several memories suddenly bombarded her mind. Dark bruises on Roy's face, with a lot of reluctance to tell her how he'd gotten them. The fact that she and Roy had never been in a room alone. Oliver had always been there when they saw each other. She'd thought he'd been there to support Roy since he was so shy and anxious, but more likely he'd been there to intimidate Roy and make sure he didn't tell her anything. Now that she really thought about it, Roy's shyness and anxiety probably weren't natural. It was probably fear of what Oliver might do to him if he gave away what was happening. "I was there and I knew nothing. I-I could've helped him."

"You and Batman could make a club," Flash muttered. Aquaman shook his head at the speedster.

"So you were in no way complicit in the abuse?" Batman asked.

Black Canary scowled at him, once again unafraid. "Of course I wasn't!" she snapped. "I had no idea what Oliver was doing! If I had known I would've helped Roy!"

"That's good," Superman said.

"If she never hurt Roy, then why did he react like that when he saw her?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"He can't always control how he reacts to things," Batman told them.

Black Canary sighed. "Batman, I would like to talk to Roy- Arsenal," she said.

"Why?" Flash asked.

Batman didn't need to know why though. He could tell from her reactions she was feeling some guilt over this. Whether or not talking to Roy would appease her guilt, he didn't know, he doubted it, but if talking to Roy could potentially help him, Batman was willing to try. "Yes," he said, surprising everyone around him. "As long as you understand that this only happens if he wants it to. If he doesn't want to talk to you then you can't force him to."

"Of course."

"Good." He turned away and left the room with Black Canary following only a moment behind.

— —

After they left their mentors, Robin led Arsenal to the gym where they'd been last time they were on the Watchtower. "You ok?" Robin asked Arsenal.

"I don't know…" Arsenal muttered.

"Perhaps we should give Arsenal some space," Aqualad responded.

"Come on dude, let's go race!" Kid Flash yelled, running in a circle around the group. "Come on, come on, come on, come on!"

"Go," Arsenal said to Robin. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Robin asked.

"I'm sure." Kid Flash dashed across the room, then came back, scooped Robin up in his arms, and ran off with him. "Kid Flash has superspeed, why do they "race"?"

"I admit that I do not know," Aqualad replied. "How has it been working as a vigilante again?"

"It's good. It's….better than being with Green Arrow because Batman doesn't kill people."

"The League as a whole is against the killing of criminals. I am glad you share this sentiment."

"Thanks."

"Would you like to spar again Arsenal? I am sure you have improved a lot."

"I have. Let's go and I'll show you." They walked to the mats in the center of the floor and Arsenal attacked Aqualad without much warning. Once again, the young Atlantean's naturally calm demeanor made him feel calm. He never really felt that Aqualad could be mad at him because he'd never seen him mad. They were in the middle of sparring when Batman walked in with Black Canary.

"Arsenal," he said, calling the teen over. They stopped and Arsenal made his way over to them nervously.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I don't think we've officially met, I'm Black Canary," Black Canary said. "I'm sure you remember me by a different name though."

Arsenal nodded. "Dinah. You and Oliver dated."

"We did. Would you like to go for a walk?" Arsenal looked at Batman.

"You can go if you want," Batman informed him. "If you don't want to, then you don't have to." Truthfully, Arsenal was really curious what Dinah wanted to talk to him about. Batman subtly tapped his belt, reminding Arsenal that no matter where he was on the Watchtower, he could find him. This gave Arsenal a little bit of confidence.

"Ok," Arsenal said to Black Canary. "Let's go for a walk." The two of them walked away from the gym. Black Canary gave Arsenal space, trying not to crowd him. "I didn't know you were a hero."

"I could say the same about you."

"I'm sorry I freaked out when I saw you. I just…I don't know…"

"It's ok. I'm honestly surprised you remembered me."

"I didn't exactly meet a lot of people in the two years lived with Oliver. Plus you were the only woman he ever brought home. It definitely made you stand out."

"Batman told me about….what Oliver did-" Arsenal didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I didn't realize what was going on."

"It's fine-" Arsenal stopped. It wasn't fine really. Nothing about this situation was fine.

"If I had known I would've done everything in my power to help you. I just had to convince Batman and the League that I didn't know what was going on."

"I didn't tell them you did."

"I know, I was there. I want you to know I didn't just ignore what was going on, I truly didn't know."

"I was good at hiding it."

"That was easier considering I hardly ever saw you when I was in the mansion."

Arsenal looked away. "It wasn't always my choice. Oliver warned me to stay clear or else. A couple of times he locked me in a closet when you were there." He suddenly became very interested in the wall next to him, causing him to miss the horrified look on Black Canary's face. "Like I said, though, I was really isolated when I lived with Oliver."

"Did you enjoy seeing me then?"

"….um…no…" Black Canary gave him a curious look. "Sorry. It wasn't that I didn't like you. It's just…when you were around there was a greater chance I was going to do something wrong or Ollie was going to get mad at me." Not to mention any time Dinah was around Oliver would ignore him to the point of not feeding him. Whenever Oliver was away sleeping at her place, Roy would still go without food; sometimes for a couple of days.

"That makes sense. It doesn't make me feel any better that I'm a licensed and trained therapist and I wasn't able to recognize a child in need of help."

"Oliver did everything he could to keep it from you. Besides, I would've never considered telling you anyways." Arsenal held his bow closer to his body. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why did you break up with Ollie?"

"I was concerned with how controlling Oliver was. It was so bad that I wanted to take a job in Seattle to get away. I told him I wanted to leave, thankfully not where I was going, but he didn't take it well." That, Arsenal believed. "We got into a big argument and he hit me. Granted, I didn't have the best reaction, but I-"

"Hit him back," Arsenal finished. He flinched as he remembered his bedroom door banging open in the middle of the night and Oliver's face covered in blood.

"I did. I left Star a couple of days later. I was thankful he didn't come after me in those couple of days. I knew hitting him back had probably made him furious and I didn't want to deal with that."

"He was really angry. Really, really angry."

"Did our fight wake you up that night? We were yelling really loud."

"No, Ollie did after you left."

"He woke you up after I left? It was 1 in the morning!"

Arsenal nodded. "Who do you think he took his anger out on?"

Black Canary felt a lump form in her throat. She'd pissed off a dangerous man, only to leave him alone with a defenseless child. "I'm sorry Roy, I didn't know he would take his anger out on you."

"I was really mad at you at first. You were the one who made him angry, but I was the one who had to deal with consequences. After a couple of days though, I realized I wanted you gone because if you weren't around he couldn't hurt you too."

"You're a brave kid to put up with that for two years." Arsenal looked away. They'd walked in a loop and arrived back at the gym where they'd started. "Thank you for talking with me Arsenal. After hearing what had been happening I wanted a chance to talk to you myself and apologize for not realizing you were in danger."

"If you had known it just would've made things worse."

"Despite our rough beginning, I hope in the future we can be friends." Arsenal didn't really know what to say, so he ducked his head and scurried back into the gym.

Batman stepped out of the shadows by the door once he was gone. "Have you alleviated your guilt?" he asked, leading her back to the League meeting room.

"Not really. When I broke up with Oliver he turned around and took out his anger on Roy. I can't imagine what that poor kid has gone through in the past couple of years."

"No, you can't."

Black Canary gave him a look but didn't say anything. "Where is he living now?"

"In Gotham, with Robin and myself."

"How is he adjusting?"

"It's been 7 and a half months. He's still adjusting."

"Does he exhibit strange behavior?"

"He's anxious about….me. He thinks I'm going to hit him."

"Anything else?"

"He has panic attacks and nightmares. He has low self-esteem and feels Queen's treatment of him was justified."

Black Canary nodded. "If he's in need of professional help, I'm licensed, therapist. I'd be happy to help him in any way I can."

"I'll keep that in mind." Which he actually would. Roy needed the help and if he could get it from some member of the Justice League, then he'd take advantage of it. Anyone else probably would've apologized for assuming Black Canary had been complicit in the abuse, but Batman was certain he'd been justified. Had she been involved in any way, he hadn't wanted her anywhere near Arsenal. They returned to the League meeting room to find Superman explaining the situation with Green Arrow to the new members.

"He attacked civilians in your cities out of revenge," John Stewart asked. "and you did nothing?!"

"Not nothing," Flash said. "We did try to blackmail him."

"You're the greatest heroes of Earth, blackmail shouldn't be on your resume," Hawkwoman pointed out.

"We didn't want to tip Queen off as to where Roy was," Batman explained.

"Why go to all this trouble for one kid?" Hawkman asked. "I understand you wanted to help him, but your actions caused Green Arrow to attack the people you've sworn to protect and your own sidekicks."

"None of this is Arsenal's fault!" Batman shouted. Superman and Wonder Woman each put a hand on his chest in warning.

"I'm not saying it is. I'm just confused as to why you're so willing to endanger others at his expense. Were you that desperate to get his archery skills on your side?" Again, Superman and Wonder Woman had to press their hands warningly against Batman's chest.

"This wasn't about getting him to fight for us," Flash said. "We just wanted to help him."

"Why at the expense of others?" Hawkwoman asked.

"It was our fault," Batman said. Everyone looked at him. Superman and Wonder Woman let their hands fall, sensing he wasn't going to attack someone. "We knew for years that Green Arrow was a danger to people, but we chose to make a truce instead of stopping him. When he took in Roy, we still looked away. We left a child to defend himself against a full-grown adult for two years. You can't judge our actions unless you've met a 14-year-old covered in bruises and terrified of everyone because he thinks he's going to be beaten. We looked the other way for too long and a child suffered because of it."

"Green Arrow and Green Arrow alone is responsible for his actions," Green Lantern said. "He chose to attack our cities. He chose to hurt Arsenal. We can't be held responsible for his actions." The Hawks were silent and the others took this as their acceptance of the situation.

"We'd advise you all to be on your toes," Superman told them. "Tomorrow we are announcing your acceptance into the League in front of the Hall of Justice. Green Arrow has a vendetta against us, and though none of you were involved in removing Sp- Arsenal from Star, that vendetta may include you all as well."

"If that bothers you too much, and you don't think protecting an innocent child is worth that, you can feel free to renounce your membership," Wonder Woman added.

"You think one piece of scum is going to bother me?" John Stewart asked. "If he comes to Detroit I'll hit him so hard he'll land on the moon." Hal smiled and nodded in encouragement.

"He doesn't scare us either," Hawkman said. "If he's an enemy of the Justice League then he's our enemy as well."

"I'd like to see him try and take us on," Hawkwoman added.

Black Canary crossed her arms. "If he even steps foot in Seattle, I'll show him the real meaning of pain," she said.

"Looks like we're all on the same page then," Flash nodded. "Welcome to the Justice League."

— —

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Arsenal asked Robin, adjusting his quiver again.

"Batman says it's ok," Robin said, "So it's ok."

"Why are you so nervous Arsenal?" Aqualad asked.

"Yeah, this is the first time the public's seeing all of us together!" Kid Flash smiled. He was running excitedly in a circle around the other three. "We get to be there when the new Justice League members are announced to the press!"

"We're just standing the background," Robin told him, He stuck his foot out, tripping the young speedster. Kid Flash fell on the ground with a loud thump! Robin sat on his back and cackled. "I doubt anyone will even notice us."

"Dude! That so wasn't cool!"

"You should've watched where you were going."

"You tripped me!"

Aqualad looked away from the two younger boys' arguing and saw Arsenal had stepped away from the group. "Arsenal," he said, stepping closer. "Is everything ok?" Arsenal's breathing was getting a little erratic and his arms were wrapped around his body. "Arsenal-" He reached out to put his hand on the teen's shoulder, but Arsenal pulled away.

"Please don't touch me!" he hissed.

"Sorry, I am just worried."

"Help me breathe!" Arsenal did his best to talk quietly. Robin and Kid flash were still playfully arguing, so they didn't notice. "Please!"

"Ok…um…" Aqualad tried to think of what he could do. He stepped around Arsenal so he was standing in front of him. "Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in-" Granted he really didn't know if he was helping, but he did his best. It took a couple of minutes, but Arsenal's breathing evened out, but he still kept his arms wrapped around himself.

"Thank you, Aqualad. I just….couldn't calm myself down."

"I was happy to help, but, if you don't mind my asking, why are you so worried?"

Arsenal played with his bow. "We're going to be….in front of people. They'll know we exist."

"Why does this bother you?"

"I don't know…I guess….I guess I'm just scared of making it public that I'm working with Batman. When I was Speedy all of the press was always focused on Green Arrow and hardly ever mentioned me."

"The focus will not be on us, Arsenal. It will be on the League and their new members. Like Robin said, we will be in the background. No one will even notice our presence."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Ok. Ok."

"Arsenal, Robin," Batman said, walking in. The two boys hurried to his side. Flash followed and Kid Flash zipped over to his mentor. Aquaman walked into the room and Aqualad soon joined him at his side. "All of you will be quiet and remain in the background while we do this."

"If we behave will we get to go to more League functions?" Robin asked hopefully. Batman just looked at him. He looked away and the boy wonder smirked. 'Well, he didn't say no…' The founding members of the Justice League left the Hall of Justice, with their sidekicks and the new members following close behind. Once they stepped into the sunlight the four sidekicks stepped off to the side, partially hidden in the shadows of their mentors. Superman stepped forward and started talking about the mission of the League and need for expansion. Arsenal wasn't really listening. He was too busy trying to keep himself calm.

'So many people…' he thought nervously. 'What if someone notices me? What if they figure out I'm from Star? That I"m Speedy.' The thought made him nauseous. Not only would Oliver know where he was, but the public would probably trust Batman less if they knew he was working with someone who'd killed people before.

Robin seemed to notice his anxiety and nudged him. "Someday that'll be us," he whispered, watching as Black Canary, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and John Stewart were welcomed into the League.

"Dude…" Kid Flash smiled. He started vibrating a little bit. "That'll be awesome…."

"Indeed, Aqualad nodded. "It would be amazing to stand beside them as equals."

"The greatest heroes on Earth," Robin whispered, a hint of awe in his voice. His eyes strayed back to Batman. "We'll be just like them someday."

Arsenal watched the League members with interest. "Do you think they'd let me be in the League someday?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course. We'll all be in the League."

"All of us?" He tried to imagine what that would be like. To be a great hero and have people cheer for you and trust you instead of running away in fear. To have your skills be known not for their deadliness, but for the number of people they'd helped save. The archer smiled a little to himself. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

Robin smiled as well. "We're joining the League someday. That's a promise."

— —

Thousands of miles away in Star City, Oliver was watching a live feed of the ceremony. Practically every news station in the country was covering it. He scowled in irritation, fist clenching around the remote. "Stupid Justice League," he muttered. "They think they're so good. Bunch of hypocritical idiots!" He pointed the remote at the tv, intending to shut it off when something caught his eye. He paused the tv and leaned closer. "What…" The sidekicks were just barely visible in the shadows of the League members. The one with dark skin and blonde hair was obviously Aqualad. Next to him was a bright yellow figure that was most likely Kid Flash. Next to him was a much smaller, almost tiny by comparison, figure that could only be Robin. Next to Robin though…was a teenager. Oliver moved a little closer, carefully studying the teen. He had red hair and was carrying a bow.

"Roy!" he hissed, anger flashing through his body. He sat back on the couch again. He sat back and studied the paused the screen. "So you're with the League now…" Glancing to the side he picked up a copy of the Gotham Gazette, which had been lying next to him on the couch. The front page boldly displayed the headline, "Batman Gets New Sidekick" with a poorly shot picture. Batman was hard to make out, as he blended in with the night behind him. A green and yellow blur that could only have been Robin was in the air beside him, the picture catching him mid-grapple. Right behind Robin though, was a red figure with what looked like a quiver on his back and a bow in his hand.

Oliver set the paper down and tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch. "So….you're in Gotham." That didn't really narrow it down since there were millions of people in that city and he had absolutely no clue where Batman's base was. "I never would've guessed they sent him to the Bat." He sighed deeply. "I have to be smart about this. Batman is smart and tough. Not to mention he has Superman on speed dial. I'll need a good plan to get past him and get to Roy; or…" His face twisted in disgust as he looked at the paper again. "Arsenal." He threw the paper across the room.

"Batman won't be able to stop me! I'm going to get that kid and I'll show him what happens when he goes against me!"


	45. All Hahahahallows' Eve

A/N: It's Halloween...in January...yay! This is the first of several oddly placed holiday chapters. So eat some candy and enjoy.

When Roy woke up and saw the rubber spider hanging over his face he frowned. "What're you doing?"

"Aww," Dick pouted, sitting back on Roy's stomach. "It didn't scare you."

"Why would that scare me?"

"Spiders are scary."

"I grew up in Arizona. I once found a camel spider on my shoe. Spiders don't scare me."

"What's a camel spider?"

Roy pushed Dick off and grabbed his laptop. He quickly booted it up and sat back on his bed. "This." He turned the laptop around to show Dick. The younger boy screamed and ran out of the room. Roy chuckled and put his laptop away. 'Why was Dick trying to scare me anyways?' he wondered as he got dressed. He happened to get a glance at the calendar hanging on the wall above his desk. 'Oh, it's Halloween.' The holiday brought memories of trick or treating dressed as Robin Hood and sorting through so candy with Brave Bow. His felt an ache in his heart, but a sudden knock on his bedroom door re-focused his attention. "Come in."

Bruce came in and gave Roy a curious look. "Is there a reason why Dick is yelling about a 'monster spider' and asking Alfred if camel spiders live in Gotham?" Roy simply grabbed his laptop and showed it to Bruce. "Why would you show him this?"

"He wants to know why I wasn't scared of spiders. I found one of these on my shoes once."

"That monstrosity was on your shoe, but it didn't give you arachnophobia?"

"There are tons of spiders and scorpions in Arizona. I'm just used to them."

"Well, when you go down to breakfast reassure Dick they only live Arizona."

"Yes, Bruce."

"Good." Bruce left and Roy quickly finished getting dressed. He went down to the dining room where Dick was dressed in his school uniform but looking incredibly traumatized.

"You should've seen it, Alfred! It was huge!" he cried, holding his arms apart for emphasis.

"Still talking about the spider?" Roy asked him, slightly amused.

"Master Dick is very distraught over the existence of this spider," Alfred explained as he gave the boys' their breakfasts.

"Don't worry Dick, they only live in Arizona. You won't find one in Gotham."

"I'm never going to Arizona," Dick decided as he started eating his eggs while Roy chuckled.

'How can a kid who fearlessly faces down men twice his size with semi-automatic weapons be so scared of a little spider?' They didn't see Bruce at breakfast, but they did hear him getting ready for work.

"We're leaving in 10 minutes Master Dick," Alfred warned the boy as he quickly finished his breakfast.

"I'm hurrying!" Dick replied. Once he finished he pretty much hopped out of his seat and ran out of the dining room. Roy looked down at his empty plate, then looked up in hesitation.

"Alfred?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, Master Roy?" Alfred replied.

"Can I have more eggs please?"

"Of course, sir."

Roy waited until his plate was back in front of him with more food until he relaxed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir. When I return we shall begin your school work."

"Ok." Once Roy finished his second helping he went upstairs, running into Dick, who was leaving.

"Bye Roy!" he smiled, giving Roy a hug. Roy returned it briefly. "After patrol tonight we'll watch a Halloween movie."

"Alright. Have a good day at school."

"I will. Bye!" Dick disappeared down the stairs and Roy grabbed his school supplies. He glanced outside and stopped for a moment. The trees around the estate had turned from green to red, yellow, and brown. He'd never seen anything like it.

'Maybe I can go outside today before patrol if I'm not too busy,' he thought hopefully. He finished gathering up his things and went downstairs to the dining room. Usually, this was where Alfred had him doing his school work. He sat down to wait and started looking over his homework. "Homework" being the work Alfred required him to do on his own so he could get the practice. The morning went quickly, with Alfred teaching Roy about triangles in math, World War 1 in history, atoms in science, and assigned him spelling words for the week. Truthfully, Roy didn't really understand why he needed to study things like spelling and vocabulary, but he was also really happy Alfred was teaching him at all, so he didn't question it. In the afternoon he did his work on his own and Alfred looked it over after he'd done some cleaning. After that, it was homework before patrol. He worked in his room, hoping to get through at least his math and spelling before Dick got home.

He'd moved his desk a couple of weeks ago so that he could look out one of the windows when he was sitting at it. He was half-way through re-writing his spelling words for the week when he looks outside again. Despite it being the last day of October and well into Autumn, it looked a little on the warm side. The usual overcast skies weren't as dark as they normally were. He tried to go back to his work, but he kept looking outside. Finally, after 15 minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. Roy got up and gathered up his papers. He went downstairs to the backdoors and quietly let himself outside. The grass poked him a little bit because he wasn't wearing shoes, but it was mostly soft. Roy found a good place in the expansive backyard and sat down cross-legged. The fresh air helped clear his head and he was actually working a lot faster than he had been inside. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice someone coming up behind him.

"So this is where you have been hiding Master Roy," Alfred said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Roy jumped, dropping his pencil. "Sorry Alfred, I just really wanted to be outside."

"Well, as long as you're doing your work, I don't think it's a bad idea. Master Dick is home and looking for you."

"I should probably go inside then." He gathered up his work and followed Alfred back into the Manor. He'd barely made it ten feet before Dick came running up to him.

"Look! Roy, look!" He held up a small pumpkin covered in marker drawings. "We did this in art class today."

"Cool."

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing. Just school work."

"Does Alfred do art projects with you?"

Roy scoffed a little. "I'm in high school, Dick. I don't do art projects."

Dick made a face. "That doesn't sound like fun. I'd rather do art projects."

"That's because you're a kid." Dick threw the pumpkin at him, but Roy simply caught it.

"Like I said, you're a kid."

"Just give me my pumpkin back."

"Fine." Roy held the small squash up as high as his arm would allow. "Take it."

Dick scowled. "Give it back, Roy."

"I'm telling you to take it." Dick leaped at Roy, who spun around. The boy jumped on his back, wrapping his legs around Roy's torso.

"Give it back!" Roy laughed as Dick actually started climbing him.

"What're you, part monkey?!" Dick reach up vainly to try and reach the pumpkin, but even when sitting on Roy's shoulder's his fingers could just barely make it.

"Give me my pumpkin back!"

"Never!" Roy tried to walk forward at the same moment Dick leaped up off his shoulders. The two of them fell on the ground, where Roy quickly snatched up the pumpkin again.

"Give it back!" Dick pulled at Roy's arms as the teen wrapped his body around the pumpkin.

"Make me!"

"I'll-"

"Ahem." Both boys froze and scurried to their feet. Alfred was standing in the hall, giving both of them stern looks. "I would greatly appreciate it if you two would refrain from roughhousing outside the gym or the Cave." It was phrased as a suggestion, but his tone and body language conveyed it was actually an order.

"Sorry Alfred," the boys said in unison, which almost made Alfred smile in amusement. He left them alone and Roy held the pumpkin out.

"Here," he said. "You can have it back."

Dick shrugged. "You can keep it, I made it for you anyways."

Roy smiled. "Thanks."

"Master Dick!" Alfred called from down the hall. "I do hope your homework is done or you'll be staying home tonight!"

Dick made a face. "Why isn't he telling you to finish your homework?"

"Mine's already done."

"That's not fair!" Roy followed him upstairs to their rooms. "Why do you always have less work than me?"

"I don't have less work, I just get it done faster." Dick stuck his tongue out at Roy. They departed once upstairs, going into their own rooms. Roy set his pumpkin on his shelf, along with the fossilized arrowhead. He spent the afternoon before dinner watching tv. Dinner was the same as it usually was. Roy was more nervous around Bruce than he had been all day, but he did ask for more food. Dick did his best to try and keep Roy as calm as he had been all afternoon by joking and talking. After dinner, the two of them went down to the Batcave to do some maintenance on their weapons. Dick was still learning how to do full maintenance on his belt, but he could do a lot of it by himself. Roy meanwhile, was checking the arrows he was taking that night to make sure they were working. He unstrung and re-strung his bow with a new string since the old one was getting frayed.

"Hey, Roy," Dick said, choking the sharpness of his bat-a-rangs.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could teach me archery?"

"Right now?"

"Not right now, just….eventually."

"I guess I could."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"Cool!" Bruce came downstairs and the three of them suited up. Arsenal was still a little tense on patrol, as he usually was. Things were starting to go pretty well for him, so he didn't want to prove himself incompetent again and frustrate Bruce. The beginning of patrol was very standard. They stopped a couple of muggings, took down a couple of drug dealers, and tailed some known gang members. It made things only slightly complicated that being Halloween, there were tons of kids out. Robin couldn't help himself from pointing out every Justice League costume they saw. They started keeping track, trying to figure out which hero was more popular based on the number of kids dressed as them. It was a couple of hours into the patrol when Robin looked up and flipped off the chimney he was on. "Bat signal's up!" he called to Batman.

"Let's go," Batman grunted. They weren't that far from the police station, so they raced across the rooftops. It took only a few minutes to touch down in the shadows of the police station rooftop. Batman stepped out of the shadows first, taking Commissioner Gordon by surprise.

"Joker escaped," Gordon said, not mincing words. "I got the call from Arkham ten minutes ago."

"How long has he been gone?"

"We don't know. I've got extra patrols near some of his latest hideouts he's used in the past."

"Did Harley escape too?"

"No, she's still there. She's on lockdown."

Batman didn't bother to point out all his villains, the Joker and Harley, in particular, should be on lockdown all the time. "Was there anything strange about his cell when he left?"

"The guards didn't notice anything strange, but that's not saying a lot."

"I'll go to Arkham now and take a look."

"We need to be fast. It's Halloween and there are hundreds of kids trick-or-treating."

"I know." Batman left the Commissioner and Robin and Arsenal followed.

"Where do you think the Joker is?" Robin asked as they glided between the buildings.

"He could be anywhere."

"Will he attack tonight?" Arsenal asked.

"Hard to tell. I want to look at his cell to see if there are any hints about where he might be."

"Are you going to question Harley?"

"I don't have time to play mind games with her. Gordon is right, there's a lot of civilians out tonight, it's the perfect night for one of his plans." They reached the Batmobile and were speeding towards Arkham Asylum only a minute after that. Arsenal had heard about it from Robin and Batman. His mind flashed back to the time Green Arrow had threatened to bring him here when he was pretending to talk to himself to protect Robin from his mentor's wrath. The metal gate at the entrance to the grounds somehow made him feel small. The building behind it, perched on a hill, was dark and ominous; like the castle where an evil wizard lived in a movie. The closer they got though, the more Arsenal's stomach began to shrink. The guards at the entrance didn't even question Batman as he walked in. He and Robin apparently knew the way, since they headed straight for their destination. The halls were narrow and dark, causing Arsenal to stay close to Robin, thankful the boy's bright costume made him easy to pick out. Unlike Batman, who blended into shadows briefly as he walked through them; causing him to periodically disappear and reappear.

They finally reached the cell they wanted and walked in. Arsenal looked around. 'So this is Joker's cell,' he thought. There wasn't anything particularly special about it. There was a metal bed bolted to the floor in the corner, as well as a table and chairs, also bolted to the floor. The three of them spread out in the tiny space, searching the cell for any signs of where he might be. Arsenal crouched down, tilting his head to the side. The lower part of the wall here had 'HAHAHAHA' written on it in what looked suspiciously liked blood. He stood up straight and discovered Batman was examining something. "What's that?" Arsenal asked, walking closer. Upon closer inspection, he discovered the object was a playing card. "A joker card?"

"His calling card," Robin explained. He climbed up Arsenal and sat on his shoulders so he could see the card as well. "There's an address on it."

Arsenal frowned. "How did the guards or Gordon's men miss this?"

"We'll ask them right after they explain how Joker keeps escaping." Robin somersaulted backward off Arsenal's shoulders and landed in a crouch on the ground.

"Isn't the address probably a trap?" Arsenal asked as they followed Batman out.

"Yes," Batman answered.

"Or maybe not," Robin mused, unaware that his answer really wasn't making Arsenal feel any better. "You never know with Joker."

"So, if it is a trap, we're just going to willingly walk into it?"

"Pretty much."

They got to the Batmobile and were soon speeding back into the city. Arsenal didn't really understand why they would be willingly walking into a trap, but he wasn't stupid enough to question it. The address in question was an abounded fairy complex just outside the south-side of the city. There were three buildings surrounding a tarmac courtyard that was so cracked it was practically a collage. "I've alerted Gordon to where we are," Batman informed them. "We need to be efficient, so we'll each take one building. If either of you finds Joker, retreat and alert the rest of us. Do not engage. Understood?"

"Understood," Robin nodded, already pulling his grappling hook out of his belt.

"Understood," Arsenal repeated, pulling an arrow from his quiver. He took the building right in front of him, moving towards it with extreme caution. The door was unlocked, so he took one last look back, only to discover Batman and Robin had already disappeared, and let himself into the building. He quickly activated the night vision mode on his mask. The room he was in was filled with broken textile equipment. He kept his bow drawn as he moved through the room, eyes scanning every corner. His feet moved with easy stealth, slipping silently across the dust covered floor. The only sound was his own breathing, which he evened out to make it silent. Part of him wished there were at least rats making noise. The silence was weighing on his mind. It was so deafening that he needed to calm himself down to avoid psyching himself out.

The first floor was empty, so he moved up to the second. There were five floors of the old factory, so he was only 1/5 of the way through his search. The second floor was a lot like the first one. The large room contained several rows of textile mills, covered in dust or dirty sheets. Arsenal moved through the second floor the same way he did the first one. Moving with caution and preciseness, sweeping every corner and behind every machine with his bow. There was a breeze that blew in through several broken windows, chilling him a little bit. A shiver ran down his spine but he steeled himself against the cold; a tactic he was used to. It occurred to him Joker might know he was there based on the footprints he was leaving in the dust, as faint as they were. There was really no way around it though, so he just had to accept it as a risk in the mission. The scene floor was also empty, so he moved to the third. He entered the third floor, which was somehow darker than the other two had been. It wasn't a problem though, thanks to the night vision feature in his mask. He moved through the room just as cautiously.

"Robin, Arsenal," Batman said over the comms. "Report."

"No sign of him here," Robin answered in a whisper.

"Same-" Arsenal was cut off when he turned the corner around a machine and the lights turned on.

Blinding white light filled his entire field of vision. He screamed in agony, dropping his bow and arrow as he fell to his knees. His hands scrambled at his mask, trying to turn the night vision off. It didn't help that his eyes had closed involuntarily against the blinding light. He finally managed to get it turned off, but spots danced across his vision, making hard to see. Arsenal looked around, reaching for his bow. A sudden sound made him freeze though. Laughter. Cold, maniacal laughter was slowly filling the large space.

"Hahahaha," Joker laughed, seeming to come from everywhere. "Looks like Batsy has a new little friend." Arsenal grabbed his bow, but his vision wasn't yet at 100% and he was still disoriented from being momentarily blind. "I'm was so excited when I heard!" There was sudden movement in his peripheral and someone was instantly pinning him to the ground. "I love meeting new people." Arsenal had seen many pictures of the Joker and studied him in the case files. However, pictures of the Joker didn't really convey the crazy. His unnaturally pale, completely white skin was ghostly in the fluorescent lights. Joker licked his red lips, where so bright against his skin it was like he'd painted them in blood. His green hair was unevenly cut and made him look unhinged in the way sections of it hung down lower than others. The most deranged part of Joker though was his eyes. The gleeful glint combined with a glazed look gave the impression of someone who was very excited about he was doing but disconnected with reality.

"Joker…" Arsenal whispered. Joker was pinning him down, straddling the archer's torso. His knees were pinning down Arsenal's wrists; leaving his hands free to twirl a pocket knife between his fingers. The clown grinned maniacally as he pulled off Arsenal's gloves. The archer tried desperately to throw the clown off, but for someone so skinny, Joker was surprisingly strong.

"Uh uh uh. It's very rude to run away while someone's talking. Just ask Bird Boy, I don't like it when children are rude."

"What-What do you want?"

"I just wanted to meet you." He touched the point of the knife gently against Arsenal's jaw and trailed it down his neck and chest as he talked. "When Penguin was telling us Batman had a new kid….I just had to meet you for myself." He started laughing as he started drawing a line down Arsenal's arm; leaving a thin red line in its wake. "After all, Bird Boy is so much fun to play with. I'm hoping you are as well." Arsenal squirmed again, kicking out his feet to try and throw the clown off.

"Get off!" he shouted, squirming so much that Joker's knife made s sudden diagonal cut across his upper arm. Joker snarled and slapped him.

"Stay still!" He grabbed Arsenal's chin and toyed his knifepoint around the teenager's trachea. "You don't shout like the little bird does. Hm…." He suddenly started smiling again, making Arsenal's heart stop. "Maybe I should just try harder." He suddenly sliced his knife across Arsenal's palm, which got a grunt, but nothing more. It wasn't that he was just trying to seem brave in the face of pure terror in human form, but it also wasn't as bad as some of the injuries he'd gotten in recent memories. Unfortunately, Joker just took this as an invitation to try and get an actual shout of pain from him. He started carving short lines into Arsenal's neck, not quite getting to his trachea, but bringing the knife closer each time.

"You're insane…" Arsenal whispered, realizing he was just stating the obvious. Joker simply laughed, sending chills down the teenager's spine. He suddenly stopped laughing and examined the young vigilante. The smile stayed on his face though. Arsenal noticed that one of his knees and slipped a little bit. Acting in desperation, he jerked his hand free and punched Joker in the face. The Joker was momentarily stunned enough for Arsenal to pull his other arm free. He grabbed Joker's wrist as he was about to stab him, earning him another deep slice along the side of his hand. Grappling to keep the clown from stabbing him, Arsenal was once again struck by how freakishly strong Joker was. He suddenly jerked his arms to the side and managed to get out from underneath the clown.

Arsenal scrambled to his feet and ran, stumbling to the fact that his vision was still suffering. However, he did manage to find his bow a few yards away. 'How did it get over there?!' He ran straight for it, only to be tackled to the ground from behind. Dust got into his mouth and nose, making him cough. Joker was kneeling on his back, crushing his chest. Again, he wondered how someone so thin could be so strong and heavy. Unfortunately, one of his arms was pinned awkwardly beneath him and the other was being twisted behind his back, so he couldn't really get away.

"Clearly Bats hasn't been teaching you manners, Arrow Boy," Joker sneered, twisting the arm a little farther. Arsenal gritted his teeth. It hurt yes, but it was an all too familiar pain to him. "At least Bird Boy can't get away when we're playing." There was a shifting movement and Arsenal could feel arrows in his quiver being shifted around. "What's in here?"

"Don't touch those!" Arsenal didn't want to think about what the Joker might do with one of his electroshock arrows.

"Why? You don't want to share your toys-" The weight suddenly disappeared from Arsenal's back and Joker's voice was gone. He got onto his knees, trying to hold himself up with his shaking arms.

"Arsenal!" Robin shouted, dropping next to him from the ceiling. "Are you ok?"

"I'm alive…."

"With the Joker sometimes that's all you can hope for." Robin helped Arsenal stand, letting the teenager lean on him a little bit. "We heard your comm cut off and got here as soon as we could."

"We?" Robin nodded his head to something a few feet away. Arsenal looked up and saw Batman beating the Joker. The sounds of sirens reached them, causing Batman to stop. He walked over to the boys, giving them a brief look at the now unconscious Joker.

"Can you walk?" he asked Arsenal, giving him a quick look-over to make sure none of his injuries were life-threatening. Arsenal nodded, trying to stand taller on his own.

"Yes."

"Good. The two of you go downstairs and wait for me at the Batmobile."

"Ok," Robin answered. The two of them headed for the door, making Arsenal really confused.

"Wait, we're just going to leave him here?!" he demanded quietly.

"Gordon's men will be up here in two minutes. Besides, Joker's unconscious and cuffed hand and foot. He's not a threat at the moment." They made it downstairs and outside where the courtyard was now full of police cars. Commissioner Gordon waved them over as they came out. "Joker's on the third floor, Commissioner."

"My men are sweeping the building as we speak," Gordon replied. "Are you ok, Arsenal?"

"I'm fine," Arsenal said, trying to his bleeding arm behind himself.

"Uh-huh." Gordon definitely didn't miss the bloody arm, but he didn't press it; knowing from experience that Batman would handle the young vigilante's injuries. He also noticed how pale and shaken up Arsenal was. "Don't worry kid, that's how everyone reacts when they meet the Joker for the first time." Arsenal gave him a strange look. "Guess you're officially one of us now." The Commissioner moved on, leaving the boys alone.

"Come on," Robin said, leading Arsenal over to the Batmobile. He got the teenager in the backseat and pulled a small roll of bandages from his utility belt. "Let me see your arm." He started wrapping the bandages around the injured limb. "Agent A will look at your injuries when we get back to the cave."

"Ok," Arsenal replied quietly. "I didn't engage with Joker, he just….surprised me."

"Batman will ask for the full story once you've been checked by Agent A. Just relax for now."

Relax wasn't really a word Arsenal felt he could understand at the moment. His heart was still pounding and many of his muscles were still tense like he was trying to throw the Joker off. Robin noticed his discomfort and gave his hand a squeeze. He'd been there. He knew. Batman got into the Batmobile, causing Arsenal to jump a little bit. Robin held his hand tighter, trying to convey that everything was alright. Batman was silent as he drove from the factory back to the Bat Cave. The boys were also surprisingly quiet. Normally after patrol Robin was chatty and Arsenal was quieter, but still engaged with him. Right now though, they were both silent, bar the occasional and quiet reassurance from Robin. When they finally reached the cave, Robin helped Arsenal out of the Bat-mobile.

"What happened?" Alfred asked, automatically taking some of Roy's weight.

"Joker," Robin answered, following close behind as Alfred helped Arsenal into the Bat cave's infirmary. Alfred's mouth thinned. Once he had Roy sitting on the examination table he unwrapped the bandages from his arm. The cuts had mostly stopped bleeding, except for the one on the side of his hand.

"Hold still, Master Roy," Alfred instructed. He pressed a wad of thick gauze to the still oozing wound. "Hold that here." Roy pressed the gauze against his hand, gritting his teeth. Alfred then began cleaning the blood off Roy's arm and neck. While he did that, Dick snuck around him and peeled the mask off Roy's face. He frowned when he noticed that Roy's pupils were really small.

"Alfred, are his eyes supposed to look like this?" he asked in concern. Alfred stopped what he was doing long enough to look at Roy's eyes.

"I'll check them after I take care of his injuries." Thankfully, the blood hadn't really dried yet, so it was relatively easy to remove. Once his neck and arm were clean Alfred was able to examine the wounds. "It appears the cuts on your neck are thankfully shallow. The ones on your arm need to be bandaged, but they don't require stitches. Your hand, however," he pulled the gauze away and lifted the appendage so he could examine it. "This one will require stitches."

"I'm so stupid," Roy mumbled as Alfred stepped away to get the necessary supplies.

"Hey," Robin protested, sitting behind him on the table. He'd taken his own mask off as well at this point. "Batman said you can't call yourself that."

"Well?" Batman asked, walking into the infirmary. He pulled down his cowl as Alfred prepared a local anesthetic to Roy's injured hand.

"Only one of the cuts will require stitches," Alfred reported. "He shouldn't be doing any strenuous activity until his hand has healed though."

"How long will that take?"

"Only a couple of weeks."

Roy swallowed. 'Two weeks?!' He waited for Bruce to get angry at him for being so reckless and getting himself benched for so long, but the man simply nodded. Roy frowned in confusion as Alfred gently cleaned his palm with an alcohol swab.

"This is going to pinch Master Roy." Alfred injected the needle, and the anesthetic started to take effect almost immediately. Roy blinked.

"My hand is going numb," he said cautiously.

"It's so you don't feel the stitches," Bruce explained. Roy blinked again. He was suddenly filled with a slightly warm feeling. Alfred was actually making sure he didn't have to feel the pain of stitches. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. His hand went completely numb and Alfred started stitching the wound closed. "What happened tonight Roy?"

Roy took a deep breath. "I was on the third floor when Joker turned the lights on. I had been using the night vision setting on my mask so when he turned the lights on it blinded me. He tackled me while I was blinded and I couldn't throw him off. He started cutting me and I got an arm free. I punched him and we fought a little bit. Then I got away a little bit, but he tackled me again."

"Once you're better we'll spend more time on getting out of holds and freeing yourself. Understand?"

"Yes, Bruce." Roy looked away as Alfred wrapped a bandage around his hand. He then wrapped it up the teen's arm, covering every cut.

"Look here Master Roy," Alfred instructed. He examined Roy's eyes but found no severe damage. "Your vision should be fine."

"Thanks, Alfred." Roy was given some medicine for his pain and he swallowed them.

"Let's go watch a movie!" Dick grabbed Roy's non-injured arm and dragged him upstairs. "We can't watch a scary movie though. Bruce told me I'm not allowed to watch scary movies."

"What can we watch?"

"Um…." Dick looked through the large movie collection. "There's a Frankenstein movie."

"I like monster movies."

"Let's go then!"

"Where're we going?" Dick was dragging him to somewhere else in the manor.

"The home theater."

"The what?" Dick opened the door and Roy blinked. The room was large with a huge screen and large, comfortable chairs. "Whoa…"

"You haven't been in here before?"

"No…"

"Go sit." Roy sat in a chair and pulled his legs up to his chest. It was large enough that he could do this comfortably. Dick settled in the chair next to him and they started watching Frankenstein.

— —

Later that night, Bruce was up for a while as he had needed to write a report for the night and taken care of several things down in the cave. It was very late by the time he went upstairs, so naturally, the boys were both in bed. He silently opened the door to Roy's room and snuck inside. There was a small light on, giving him some light to see by. The teen was actually sleeping peacefully, his bandaged arm laying on top of the blankets. Bruce pulled another blanket on top of Roy, thinking that he might get a little cold. He was about to leave when noticed Roy's hand twitching from side to side. He froze and Roy started mumbling under his breath. Bruce set his hand gently on Roy's bandaged arm.

"Roy," he whispered, placing a little bit of pressure on his arm. "Roy it's ok…"

"S-stop…" Roy mumbled, arm instinctively trying to move away from Bruce's touch. "Stop, please…."

"It's ok Roy, wake up."

"Please…."

"Roy-" Bruce jerked back when Roy suddenly gasped and scrambled backward against his headboard. Before Bruce could react, Roy was pulling his shirt off. He looked down at his bare chest and tapped his chest with his good hand. "It's ok, it's ok." Roy took several quick breaths. "It's ok, you're safe."

"Did-did I disturb you?"

"No, you didn't. What was your nightmare about?"

Roy blinked, then looked down. "Joker…"

"What happened tonight really got to you, didn't it?"

"It wasn't just him…"

"Oh?"

Roy pulled his knees up to his chest. "Joker was- He had a knife. He-He was writing m-murderer on my chest…" He looked down at his chest again, like he needed reassurance his skin didn't have murderer carved into it.

"Roy-"

"Ollie was there." Bruce went silent. "He was standing there and he was laughing. He was laughing and I was screaming and it hurt and he was just laughing!"

"Roy, calm down. Calm down. Everything's ok."

Roy shook his head. "I don't like it…"

"The nightmares?" Roy nodded.

Bruce rested his hand gently on Roy's. "I think I know someone who might be able to help you."

"Really?"

"Yes. As long as you want to."

Roy thought about it. "I don't want to have nightmares all the time."

"I'll talk to her then."

"Ok."

"Try to get some sleep." Roy laid back down but didn't sleep.

"Bruce?"

"Yeah?"

"Can-Can you stay here for a little while?" Bruce didn't say anything at first, so Roy quickly back-tracked. "Never mind! I just….wasn't thinking and-"

"No, Roy, it's fine. I'll stay." Bruce sat on the floor by the bed. "Try to get some sleep."

"Ok." He closed his eyes, but it took several minutes for his muscles to relax. Bruce stayed there, sitting on the floor until Roy's breathing evened out and he fell back to sleep.


	46. The First Therapy Session

A/N: I'm back! Sorry about not updating on Sunday, I didn't have access to the internet. Just a couple of things about this chapter. One: there is a mention of sexual abuse. Only in the definition of what it is though and nothing more. Two: while one of my majors is psychology, I don't know a lot about therapy, so most of the information in this chapter is via Script Shrink on Tumblr. (Check out the script family for all your writing research needs.) That being said, read on and enjoy.

"Roy!" Dick yelled, running into the dining room. He dropped his school bag very dramatically not the table. "You gotta help me!"

"Indoor voice Master Dick," Alfred reminded him as the boy ran past.

"Help you with what?" Roy asked.

"I have to do a project on Native Americans for school and you're Native American-"

"No, I'm not."

"What?"

Roy sighed a little. "I'm not Native American. I grew up on the reservation, but I'm not actually Navajo."

"But you know about Navajo stuff, right?"

"Yes."

"Perfect! Can you help me with my project? Please?"

Roy smiled. "Niká adeeshwoł." Dick gave him a strange look. "I will help you."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Hágoshí~í~" Another weird look from Dick. "You're welcome. What do you need help on, specifically?"

"I have to make a poster about Navajo life a long time ago."

"Sounds easy enough."

"Could you teach me to talk like that too?"

"I can try. Navajo is a hard language to learn though."

"Maybe just a couple of phrases to put on my poster."

"Ok."

"Let's go work on it!" Dick tried to grab Roy's hand and pull him, but then teen stayed immobile.

"I still have to finish my own schoolwork." He gestured to the papers spread out in front of him.

"You can do both."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in my abilities."

"Are you excited for tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Your meeting with Black Canary."

"Oh, right. That."

"So, are you excited?"

"I don't know." Roy tried to go back to his own work. "Nervous I guess."

"Why?"

"I really need to finish this Dick. I'll help you with your project after."

"Ok." Dick didn't really understand why Roy suddenly didn't want to talk, but he knew better than to push. He went upstairs to grab a binder, deciding he'd do his homework in the dining room with Roy.

— —

Roy shifted nervously in his seat. "Can I really not go as Arsenal?"

Batman shook his head. "Black Canary has insisted that she needs to speak to Roy and not Arsenal. Besides she already knows your identity."

"I know."

"Why do you want to do this meeting as Arsenal so badly?"

Roy looked out the window of the Batmobile. "I just do."

"Well, Black Canary's the expert here, so we're doing it her way."

"Are you sure you're not mad at me for missing patrol?"

Batman managed to stop himself from sighing in annoyance just in time. "No, Roy, I'm not. I want you to get this help. Missing one night of patrol will be fine. Besides, Black Canary says when her schedule opens up later this year she might be able to meet you during the day. Besides, you're only missing a couple of hours and you're not allowed to patrol for another two days anyway." Roy looked down at his lap. "Do you still want to do this?"

"…..I guess."

"If you don't want to do this Roy, I won't make you."

"I want to. I don't want to have nightmares anymore."

Batman's mouth thinned. There was no guarantee that this therapy was going to stop Roy's nightmares completely. If something was going to help though, he was willing to try. Roy needed help and Black Canary was the only person who could help him. They reached date zeta time and Batman once again covered Roy with his cape. They stepped through the transporter, which announced their arrival.

"Arsenal, B04."

"Batman, 02."

Roy rubbed his bandaged hand. The long cut on his arm had healed in the last week and no longer needed to be bandaged. His hand though, still had stitches, preventing him from patrolling or shooting his bow. They stopped outside a room and Batman turned to him.

"I'll be back to get you in a couple hours. Ok?"

Roy nodded. "Ok," he said quietly. Batman nodded and left, leaving the anxious teen to enter the room alone. He opened the door cautiously, not knowing what to expect on the other side. Dinah was sitting in a chair, one leg crossed over the other. She smiled at Roy warmly, making him slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't used to that much warmth being directed at him.

"Hi Roy," she said. She gestured to the chair across from her. "Please, sit." Roy sat down, trying to get comfortable. "Don't look so nervous."

"Sorry," he apologized.

"You don't have to be. First, I want to reassure you that anything you say here is confidential. I won't tell anyone, including Batman, anything we discuss."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Did you have a good day today?"

"Um….yeah…"

"What did you do?"

"I got an A on my science test. A- Agent A told me that my report on Lord of the Flies was really good. I already know all my spelling words and it's only Wednesday."

"So you're home-schooled?"

"Yeah, I can't really go to a school because I'm not really supposed to be in Gotham."

"Do you like being home-schooled?"

"It's better than it was with Ollie."

"How so?"

Roy looked down at his shoes. "With Ollie, I just did worksheets and wrote about books I read. He didn't help me and told me I was stupid. With Agent A though, he helps me."

"He doesn't make you feel stupid?"

"No."

Dinah nodded. "What're you favorite subjects?"

"I like history and science is ok I guess."

"What do you like about them?"

"I've always liked history best. I used to live on a Navajo reservation and I always liked learning about Navajo history. It was interesting."

"Do you miss living on the reservation?"

"…yeah. It's where I grew up."

"So you liked living there?"

"Of course! I mean….it wasn't always great, but it was home."

"What could make it not so great?"

Roy thought about it. "Well….when I was young I didn't really understand why I was so different…."

— FLASHBACK —

"Brave Bow?" Roy asked, tugging on his dad's shirt.

"What is it, Roy?" Brave Bow asked, not taking his eyes off the paper he was reading.

"Why do I look so different?"

Brave Bow stopped and looked down at his adopted son. "What do you mean?"

"You have dark hair and your friends have dark hair, but I have red hair."

Brave Bow sighed as he knelt down. It'd only been 2 years since he'd taken in this small child, but the boy had already grown on him. It pained him to see the child so confused. "Roy, we've talked about how you're not from the reservation."

Roy nodded. "I'm not Navajo."

"Not by blood, no."

"That's why I'm different?"

Brave Bow nodded. There were non-Navajo people who lived on the reservation, but unfortunately for Roy, there were very few and none of them lived in their rural town. "Why are you so upset about this?"

"I want to be like you."

"Roy, it matters more if you're like me in character."

"Character?"

"With your actions and words. Not your looks."

Roy thought about it. "So, I can be like you when I grow up?"

"Yes, you can."

—END FLASHBACK —

Dinah smiled. "It sounds like your adopted father cared about you a lot."

"He did. Brave Bow…he was always there for me."

"He took you in when you were a toddler, right?"

"When I was 2 and a half. He's the only father I can remember having."

"Was he close to your birth father?"

"Not really. I think they'd met a few times when Brave Bow was hiking in the woods, but they weren't best friends or anything."

"Yet he was willing to take you in when your father died."

"He died saving Brave Bow's life. Well….Brave Bow and a couple of other men he'd been hiking with that day."

"How old were you when he first told you what had happened?"

Roy looked down at his shoes again. "I don't really remember. I feel like I've always kind of known Brave Bow wasn't my biological father, even though I don't remember my birth dad."

"Do you have any pictures of him?"

"No. The wildfire that killed him also destroyed our home. We'd been living in the woods, you know? I didn't have anything from before when I lived with Brave Bow."

"Do you wish you had pictures of him?"

Roy thought about it, sitting cross-legged in his chair so he could play with his shoelaces. "I don't know…. I guess since I don't remember what he looks like, but also….no. I don't remember anything else about him, it doesn't matter if I know what he looked like."

"Do you miss him?"

"I guess."

"Did your adopted father ever take you to where he was buried?"

"…..a couple of times."

—FLASHBACK —

The cemetery was so eerily silent that it made Roy a little uncomfortable. "Brave Bow," he said quietly as if he talked too old he'd disturb all the dead around them. "Is this really where my dad is?"

"Yes," Brave Bow answered, keeping a tight hold on the boy's hand. "You wanted to see him, remember?"

"I know." Roy knew that it wasn't really his dad, just a rock with his name on it, but he was only 6. He wanted to see the place where his father was buried. It confused him that the cemetery was in a town just outside the reservation borders, but he'd never been allowed to go. Enough pestering from him though had caused Brave Bow to eventually give in. "I just….had to see him?"

"You're not really seeing him, Roy."

"I know." He held tight to his dad's hand as he was lead down the small walkway. They turned off and walked a few feet across the grass unit they'd reached the grave. Roy stared at the headstone in fascination. "Roy Harper," he said. It made him shiver to see his own name carved on the stone. Right below it was the words: Father, Friend, Hero. "Whose friend was he?"

"Your father had some friends. They were the ones who took care of his funeral arrangements."

"Oh. He was a hero to you, right?"

"Yes. He saved my life by getting me and my friends out of the wildfire."

"What was he like?"

Brave Bow looked down at him, but Roy didn't notice because all his attention was on the grave. "He was an interesting man. He had a great love of nature and archery. The few conversations we had I thought he'd be someone I'd like to know."

"I wish I could've known him."

"You're a lot like him."

They were silent for a few minutes as Roy stared at the grave. Finally, he stepped away from Brave Bow and crouched down so he could put his hand on the stone. It was slightly warm from the intense heat of the sun. He didn't linger though, only staying in that position for a few minutes before standing again. He took Brave Bow's hand before asking, "Can we go home now?"

"Yes. Come on."

Roy didn't look back at the grave as they left….

— END FLASHBACK —

"It's not that I wasn't interested in my father's grave," Roy explained quietly. "It's just that….He always been dead, you know?"

Dinah nodded. "You didn't feel a strong connection to a man you never knew."

"Exactly." Roy was surprised she'd been able to sum it up so well. "I'd always wanted to see his grave because I just….had to. We went, I saw it, and I was…..satisfied."

"Do you think it gave you some kind of closure?"

"Yeah. I guess it did."

"Brave Bow must've cared a lot about you if he brought you."

"He did. He was my dad, you know? He could be kind of strict about things at times, but he was a great dad."

"What kinds of things was he strict about?"

"Um…" Roy thought back, thinking more about his life before Oliver than he had in the past two years. "My grades. He always wanted me to get A's and B's, but I wasn't always focused so I struggled sometimes."

"Except in history and science of course."

Roy almost smiled. Almost. Dinah's sharp gaze caught the quiver of his lips before he stopped himself. "And my Diné studies."

"Diné studies?"

"Sorry. Diné means Navajo. Kind of. It was my Navajo studies. Learning the language and old traditions and things like that."

"Sounds interesting."

"It was my favorite subject. I liked it more than anything."

"Including history and science?" Again, Roy almost smiled, but it was harder to keep himself from doing it this time.

"Yeah."

"Anything else he was strict about?"

"Cleaning my room. I had to make my bed every morning. Not throwing my clothes on the floor."

"So, normal childhood chores?"

"Yeah."

"Was it Brave Bow's idea for you to learn archery?"

Roy swallowed, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable. "Kind of…."

— FLASHBACK —

"Why are you looking at the paper again?" Brave Bow asked. Roy was sitting on the couch, scouring the newspaper with more interest than he ever did.

"Tyler said that the archer was in the news again!"

Brave Bow frowned and gently took the paper from his son's hands. He didn't know what the boy was hoping to achieve, considering he was 6 and could barely read. "Why are you so interested in this…Green Arrow?"

"He sounds like Robin Hood! And Tyler said he's the greatest archer in the whole world!"

"Wouldn't you rather learn archery yourself, rather than reading about a vigilante?" He held out the bow he'd gotten the boy, who jumped to his feet excitedly.

"Really?!"

"I'll teach you everything I know."

Roy ran to Brave Bow, snatched the bow from his hands, then gave the old man a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Can we start right now?!"

"We can."

"Yes!" Roy ran out the back door, eager to get his first lesson…..

— END FLASHBACK —

"So, it was your interest in Green Arrow that led to you becoming an archer," Black canary observed.

"Yeah. I-I didn't know what he did back then and Brave Bow was a greater archer himself, so I guess it was just a natural fit."

"Did you love it at first?"

Roy actually smiled a little bit this time. "I did. I didn't hit the target on my first try though."

"The expert in everything was once a beginner."

"Once I started shooting though, I couldn't stop. I practiced every day."

"Every day?"

"Yup. Before school, after school, on the weekends."

Dinah smiled. "You really loved it, didn't you?"

"Of course. Archery just always felt so….natural. Like it was part of me."

"Did you have any friends who shared your interests?"

"Not really. I didn't really have any close friends, even as a kid, so I didn't have anyone I could talk about archery with."

"Other than Brave Bow of course."

"Yeah, other than him. I was so excited about learning archery that I'd only been shooting for a few months when I competed in my first tournament."

"Did you win?"

"I did."

"Impressive. You must be quite the bowman."

"I try."

"Did you ever have any interests outside of archery?"

"Not really. I played basketball with some boys in my grade sometimes. That was it though."

"Were you a good player?"

"I was ok. I wasn't the best or anything, but you know…."

"Did you do anything else?"

"Not really. I lived in a really rural town. It was small and there wasn't a lot to do." Roy found himself actually relaxing a little bit. He wasn't sitting tensely or too guarded. Black Canary noticed this and nodded to herself.

"Did Brave Bow approve of you having non-archery related activities?"

"Yeah. He always wanted me to make more friends and spend time with people my age."

"Did that always work out?"

"I guess… More often than not though, I'd end up at the house with him." Roy looked down at his lap and held his feet in a with grip. "Can-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are we doing this?"

"Can you elaborate?"

Roy swallowed and clenched his hands in his lap. "Why are we talking about my childhood? All the bad stuff happened after I left the reservation."

"Part of therapy is building trust. This won't help you if, on some level, you don't trust me to help."

"I trust you….I think."

"Do you? I can tell you, Roy, after what you've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if you have a difficult time trusting people. You've had a difficult time trusting Batman, right?"

"Yes…."

"Which is normal. By talking about topics that are lighter and perhaps easier for you to talk about, I'm creating a foundation for you. The hard stuff, the "actual therapy" will be built on this foundation. Does this make sense?"

Roy nodded. He couldn't help it, but his muscles were getting tense. "So, you're just doing this so I'll trust you?"

"I'm not going to hurt you. When we meet, we're meeting on your terms. I'll push you at times to talk about something important and to use the things I teach you to help yourself, but most of the time this will be at your speed. Do you understand?"

"Yeah… Can-Can I ask you another question?"

"You can ask me any question you'd like."

"Is this going to help? Will I not be so….anxious about everything and stop having nightmares?"

Dinah's mouth thinned a little as she tried to figure out how to explain this to him. "Therapy is not an instant solution, Roy. It's not a magic cure. In reality, you might always feel anxious, but I can help you learn to deal with it. You might find that it makes you feel better to talk about what happened in a secure place."

"Ok…."

"What I want is for you to live a full and healthy life. Whatever I do, it's done to achieve that."

Roy nodded. 'Batman wouldn't have let me do this if he thought it was dangerous.' He took a deep breath. "Can-Can you help me deal with panic attacks?"

"I can definitely do that. We can also work on identifying triggers so you can be aware of what might cause them to happen."

"I'd-I'd like that."

"Good." Dinah subtly studied his body language. "If you want, I'd like to talk about some more serious stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like what happened with Oliver."

Roy looked down. "A lot of things happened with Oliver."

"Like what?"

"You know what."

"Maybe I do, but I'd like to hear it from you." It took Roy a couple minutes to answer.

"He hit me." It still made his heart pound to say it out loud. "He beat me."

"He physically abused you. Do you know what the definition of abuse is Roy?"

Roy shifted uncomfortably. "Um…punishing someone by hitting them?"

"Not exactly. Child physical abuse is the non-accidental harming of a child."

"I'm not a child."

Dinah smiled. "In the eyes of the law, you are." Roy didn't reply. "Do you know that there is more than one type of abuse?"

"…..No. Isn't it just….hitting?"

"It can be if it's physical abuse. There's also verbal abuse. What do you think the definition of verbal abuse is?"

"Uh….I-I don't know."

"It's ok that you don't know. That's why we're discussing it. Verbal abuse involves harming a child by belittling or threatening them. Did Oliver ever belittle you?" There was a brief flicker of panic on Roy's face. "Did he ever say things that put you down?"

"Sometimes…" Part of him wanted to say all the time. Almost every day. Several times a day. He couldn't bring himself to say it though.

"Did he threaten you?"

Again, Roy heavily resisted the urge to say: yes, Oliver had threatened him several times a day. Nearly every day. "Sometimes…"

"If we look only at the definition then, did Oliver verbally abuse you?"

"…..Yeah. I guess."

"The third kind of child abuse is sexual-"

"Nothing like that happened!" Roy wasn't sure where the defensiveness came from.

"Do you know what sexual abuse is?"

"I don't know…. Rape and stuff?"

"Stuff?" Roy looked away. "Sexual abuse is the deliberate exposure of a minor child to sexual activity."

"Ollie never did anything like that."

"So you were never sexually abused if we're going by the definition?"

"No."

"Ok. That's good. Abuse wasn't the only thing that happened with Oliver though, was it Roy?"

"What'd you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?"

Roy thought about it, but couldn't come up with much. "I-I don't know."

"Maltreatment has many forms. Abuse is only one of them."

"Even though there's three."

Dinah smiled. "Yes, even though there's three." She sobered up quickly though, due to the seriousness of the conversation. "There's also neglect."

"Neglect?"

"I take it from the questioning tone you don't know what neglect is?"

"Not really…"

"Neglect is when someone doesn't provide the necessities for a child."

"Are there….different kinds of neglect too?"

"Agent A is right, you are bright. There are. There's physical neglect, where something like food clothing, or shelter is withheld. Did Oliver ever withhold food from you?"

"Yes."

"Did he ever withhold clothing? Refuse to give you appropriate clothing for the weather, like not having a jacket in the winter?"

"He….wouldn't give me a warmer suit when we were out at night. Does that count?"

"It can. Anything else?"

"Well….I mean…he wouldn't let me have any shoes. I didn't go outside a lot but when I did I had to go barefoot. Does that count?"

"It can. There's also emotional neglect, where love, comfort, or affection are withheld. If we base it on the definition, did you experience emotional neglect?"

"Yeah… Definitely. Ollie….he never hugged me or comforted me. That wasn't really his thing."

"There's also medical neglect, which occurs when medical care is withheld."

"Based off that definition….yes. There was…medical neglect."

"So, if we were to summarize, based on the definitions, how would we summarize what happened with Oliver?"

"Physical abuse. Verbal abuse. Physical neglect. Emotional Neglect. Medical neglect."

"Very good."

Roy looked down again. "This isn't just….based on definitions though, is it? It's what really happened."

"Yes, it is."

"You knew this all along, didn't you?"

"I suspected many things, but I wanted to hear all of them from you."

"Why?"

Dinah considered her answer carefully. "I want to be clear on what happened. You deserve to know what it is that happened to you."

"Why? What difference is it supposed to make?"

"What difference does it make to you?"

Roy was quiet for a minute as he thought about it. "I guess it's…..good to know there are like….names for what happened. Like…..it wasn't just me. Not that I'm glad other kids get abused or anything, I just-" He didn't know how to put it. Luckily Dinah seemed to catch on.

"It's ok if you don't know how to express yourself."

"Um….good. Thanks."

"This is all for you, Roy. To help you understand what happened to you."

"But it's not everything. I mean there was….more stuff besides the abuse and neglect."

"I know and we will get to the later stuff. For now, though, I thought it was a good place to start."

Roy thought about it but eventually nodded. "Yeah. It's a pretty good place to start."

"I think our time is just about up."

"Really? That was…fast."

"Time flies when you're having fun, right?"

"I guess… This wasn't….as bad as I thought it was."

"I'm glad." The two of them stood up and she smiled at him. "Thank you for meeting with me Roy. I know this probably wasn't easy for you."

"Thank you for….listening I guess."

"That is my job. Remember, you don't have to tell Batman anything we talk about. If you want it just to remain with just us then it will."

"Ok."

"Have a good week"

"I will…try." Roy left the room and wasn't surprised to find Batman waiting for him in the hall.

"Let's go," Batman said. Roy followed him silently back to the zeta tube. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he was hoping Batman wouldn't ask about his meeting with Dinah. "How was it?"

"It was ok."

"Black Canary was….friendly?"

"Yeah."

"What did you talk about?"

Roy bit his lip and looked away. "I….uh….Black Canary said I don't have to tell you."

"She did?" Nothing in Batman's voice or body language gave away how confused that made him. How could he help Roy if he didn't know what was going on with him?

"Yes…" Luckily he could hear the uncertainty in Roy's voice and knew that it would be best to back off for now.

"Very well."

Roy watched him carefully all the way back to the bat cave. He kept waiting for Batman to get mad for refusing him, but he didn't. It made Roy a little uneasy, but he was eventually able to relax and accept that Bruce wasn't going to lash out at him. It was an uneasy feeling, but it meant a lot to him.

— —

"Do you ever sleep?" Black Canary asked Batman.

"You heard me coming," he said, not giving away his surprise.

"I'm surprised you wanted to meet this late." She turned around to face him.

"I had a city to patrol."

"So I hear. Yet you still put in the time to show up."

"You told me it was important I be involved in Roy's therapy."

"It is. Shall we?" She gestured for them to sit. Once they were she gave him a pointed look. "Cowl off."

"No."

"I wasn't asking."

"I have to protect my identity and Robin's."

Dinah leaned forward. "There's a reason I told Roy not to come as Arsenal. I can't help if I'm talking to a facade." Batman didn't say anything. "Look, if it helps, I'll give you some incriminating evidence you can have against me so we're on the same playing field. All I want to do is help Roy. Isn't that what you want too?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you should ask yourself what you're willing to do to help. Or is your identity worth more to you than his mental health?"

Batman sighed. "This is why I hate therapists." Before he could change his mind he pulled the cowl off. He waited for Black Canary to look shocked or surprised. she did raise one eyebrow, but it seemed to be more out of amusement. She didn't say anything for a minute.

"You're just a therapist's dream, aren't you Mr. Wayne?"

"I think we should stay focused on Roy." The amused smirk never left her lips.

"Of course."

"What happened earlier tonight? Why did you tell Roy he doesn't have to tell me what you discuss in these meetings?"

"Because it's true. Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"He's a minor."

"He still has his rights. I don't have to tell you the specifics of what he tells me, guess I think he's a threat to himself or others."

"How can I help him if I don't know what's wrong?"

"I will tell you about the progress we make in relation to his symptoms and problems, but the specifics remain between us." Bruce very clearly didn't like this. "Are you going to continue to argue with me, or are we going to get down to business?"

"Fine."

"So, from everything you've told me about Roy's behavior, I have a preliminary decision to use Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It's a very effective therapy when dealing with child and adolescence PTSD."

"So, Roy does have PTSD?"

"I didn't say that. From what you've said and what I've seen, he does exhibit PTSD like symptoms. However, it's too early for me to diagnose anything."

"Post Traumatic Stress symptoms have to present for at least three months. Roy's have been present for 8 and they keep incasing in intensity."

"You've done your homework."

"I told you, I want to help him. He experiences symptoms from three categories. Re-experiences, negative changes in mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions."

"There isn't enough. I'm not convinced his symptoms fit the category of avoidance. Without that, I can't definitively say he has PTSD. As I get to know him I'll make that decision and adjust the therapy accordingly. Unofficially though, I think it's very likely he's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." She could tell this wasn't making him happy. "You don't like that?"

"No. How can I help him without definitive answers?"

"You'll have to make do."

Bruce exhaled loudly through his nose. "Why do you need from me?"

"I'm so glad you asked. Part of TF-CBT is parental involvement. As Roy's caretaker, I'll need you to be as involved as possible. When we meet it'll be for parenting classes."

"Did you just say parenting classes?"

"Think of them as 'How to' guides. I'll tell you how you should deal with Roy. Someone in his position is in a very delicate state of mind. I'll tell you how to properly punish him so you don't make things worse. How to help him when he's having panic or anxiety attacks. How to encourage the calming and behavioral changing techniques I'm using."

"Makes sense."

"I feel I should want you, this is a type of therapy that does very little good in the short run. It'll require Roy to actively re-experience the worst parts of his abuse and actions as Speedy."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Who's the therapist here?"

"You want him to think about what happened? Shouldn't he try to forget it?"

"Facing it is the only way he can learn to live with it. You'll just have to trust me. I know what I'm doing. You'll also need to remind Roy of that."

"Why?"

"Reliving this stuff won't be fun for him. Far from it. He'll probably want to stop coming at some point. You can't let him."

"I can't?"

"No."

"I can't force him to."

"I need your help with this. If you want Roy to get better then he needs to follow through with this."

Bruce sighed. "If you're going to help Roy, then I'll do what I have to do to make him come."

"Good. I should also warn you I can't promise this will fix everything. There is a lot of evidence this specific therapy helps with dreams about the trauma, avoidance, and hyperarousal. It can also help him with any shame or self-blame he feels and interpersonal trust. If successful, this therapy will make things much better for Roy."

"How long will it take?"

"Normally 12-16 sessions, but I feel I may need to extend that due to the nature of Roy experiencing multiple traumas."

"Multiple traumas?"

"Yes. You didn't think this was as simple as one traumatic event did you? I can break Roy's trauma down into three smaller traumas. The death of his adopted father, the abuse, and being forced to kill someone, as well as witnessing numerous murderers, as Speedy. Three distinctive traumas that need different solutions and are making things worse in their own way." Bruce wanted to strangle Oliver for causing Roy so much pain and suffering. Even if it was just two of the traumas and not all of them. "I know some of this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth. Roy can overcome this, but it's not going to be easy."

"I just want him to be better."

"He will be. Have some faith."

"I'll try. Tell me more about TF-CBT. What exactly does it entail?"

Dinah smiled. "You like details, don't you?" Bruce didn't answer, but she could see the answer on his face. "You're welcome to do your own research which I'm sure you will, but I'll break it down for you so you'll know what to expect."

Bruce nodded. This was more his speed. Facts and plans. "Tell me then."


	47. Turkey Day

A/N: It's Thanksgiving...in January. Yay! The second of four out of place holiday chapters. Enjoy!

Roy's hand came away black after he ran it down his bow. He looked at his sooty palm, working his fingers through the black powder. His face contorted and his body seemed to drape over the bow as he fingered the cracks in the wood. It required no effort at all for him to remove blackened paint chips from the wood. In a couple of places, he thought he could still make out the red paint, but it turned out to be his eyes playing tricks on him.

"What's that?" Bruce asked. He stepped back when Roy jumped to his feet, letting out a startled cry. Whatever was in his lap fell onto the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," Roy answered, but Bruce's attention was already on his bow. His body froze and his chest constricted a little as the man picked it up.

"What is this?"

"My-my bow."

"This is yours?"

"I-I brought it with me the night I left Star."

Searching his memory, Bruce could vaguely remember Roy having it that night. It was so long ago though and he'd been understandably focused on other things at the time. "Where did you get it?"

"Brave Bow made it for me."

"He made it?"

"Yeah. He made it and gave it to me on my 10th birthday."

"What happened to it?"

"The night I refused to kill someone, Ollie…. After my beating, Ollie threw it into the fire."

"He did?!" Bruce did his best to keep his voice measured. Oliver had destroyed a bow that Roy's adopted father, the man who'd raised Roy and who'd died slowly in front of him, had personally made for the boy. Anger started burning in his chest. That's when he noticed the looked Roy was given him. He was staring at the bow in Bruce's hands in fear. The anger started turning to confusion as Bruce tried to figure out why, and then it hit him. He hadn't known this was here. Roy had been hiding it from him. 'Of course, he's hiding it,' Bruce berated himself silently, holding the bow out for Roy to take. He almost flinched when Roy took it slowly like it was a trap. 'It's obviously important to him and Oliver destroyed it.' Roy held the bow close to his body, almost protectively. "Is there any hope of fixing it?"

Roy shook his head. "It's made entirely of wood. It's just too burned."

"I'm sorry, Roy. I'm sure it was really important to you."

"It was my most prized possession."

It honestly surprised Bruce there were still things Oliver could take from Roy. "I wish I could fix it for you."

"…Thanks." Bruce stood there for a moment, before leaving. After he left, Roy stood staring at his bow for a minute, then set it down under the bed. He shivered a little bit, trying to force the images of it burning from his mind. As he walked into the bathroom, he winced as he could hear the wood cracking in the heat. His hands got warm from pulling it out. Standing in front of the mirror, Roy yanked on his hair to pull himself back into reality. His hand hovered in his red hair. The locks were so long they reached down past his knuckles. The fingers ran idly through it. Suddenly frowning, he searched his bedroom until he found a pair of scissors. Without pausing, Roy went straight back into the bathroom

Roy's hands were shaking a little bit, but he lifted a few locks of his with one and pressed an open blade of the scissors against them.

"What're you doing?" Dick asked, causing Roy to jump.

"Jeez, Dick, don't sneak up on people like that!"

"Sorry." The boy was still in his uniform, so he must've just gotten home from school. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." He took a few steps forward, feeling as though he would scare Roy by walking too fast. "It looks like you're cutting your hair."

"I am."

"Ok." Dick disappeared back into Roy's bedroom, making the teen stared at the door in confusion. A few seconds later he returned, somehow carrying a chair with his tiny arms. He set it down behind Roy and stood on it. "Give me the scissors."

"Why?"

"I'm cutting your hair." Dick took them from Roy's grasp gently.

"Do you know how to cut hair?"

'Well my mom used to cut mine so….how hard can it be?"

Roy shrugged. "Go for it, I guess."

Dick started cutting Roy's hair, trying to making it as even as possible without anything to actually use. After a minute he stopped. "Is that short enough?"

"Can you grab it?" Dick gently grabbed a smile fistful of Roy's hair.

"Yes."

"Then it's too long." Dick trimmed it down again.

"How about now?"

"Can you grab it?"

"…..yes."

"Then it's too long." Taking the hint, Dick kept going until he could no longer grab it. Nodding to himself, he made sure it was even all over Roy's head and smiled.

"How does it look?"

Roy studied his reflection as Dick idly brushed pieces of his hair off his shoulders. "It's short."

"Yes."

Roy nodded. "Good."

"Come on, let's go play video games. I'm on vacation so we've got 5 days to play."

When they went down to dinner that night, Bruce and Alfred noticed Roy's haircut immediately. Bruce opened his mouth to say something, preferably about how the boys shouldn't be playing with scissors, but Dick shook his head. He gave Bruce a pleading look to let it go. After a moment, Bruce nodded and Alfred followed his lead, neither saying anything.

— —

In all honesty, Roy didn't know what to expect on Thanksgiving. However, he definitely wasn't expecting to be woken up just after the sun came up. Dick came running into his bedroom, tugging the blankets off the teen with surprising strength. "Roy, wake up! You can't sleep in!"

"Dick," he moaned, pulling his blanket back over his body. "It's 7 am!"

"So?! Come on, get up!"

"Why?"

"Everyone else is up!" As if to illustrate the point Bruce walked into the room, look about as awake as Roy felt.

"Get up Roy," he said. "If I had to get up, so do you."

"We can watch the parade!"

"You like that parade?" Roy asked, voice muffled by the pillow he'd pulled over his head.

"You don't?"

"I've never really watched it."

"You're missing out." Dick slipped off the bed and pulled the blankets off, prompting Roy to curl up into a ball. "Come on!"

"Fine, fine." Roy sat up and stretched. "You're too excited."

"Wait till Christmas," Bruce told him, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Dick loves Christmas."

"Because it's amazing!" Dick smiled.

Roy followed Dick downstairs to the dining room where Alfred, for some reason, already had breakfast ready. 'Alfred is psychic,' Roy decided. 'There's no other explanation. He's just psychic.' It would explain how he always knew they were doing something they weren't supposed to.

"Alfie makes the best Thanksgiving dinners," Dick said as they ate.

"Thank you, Master Dick," Alfred said, "I aim to please."

"What was Thanksgiving like with your adopted dad?"

Roy froze when he realized everyone was looking at him. He swallowed and looked down at his plate. "We'd have dinner with family friends usually. There was always a lot of people and a lot of food. It was a really big event."

"That's cool. What about with Oliver?"

Roy's interest stayed with his plate instead of the other people at the table. "We didn't really celebrate Thanksgiving…"

"Really?" The confusion was evident on Dick's face.

"Yeah. Ollie….Ollie said he didn't want to waste money on a big dinner or anything like that. Thanksgiving was just another day." Another day where he'd had to spend "quality time" with his guardian, trying to keep Oliver from beating him. "I didn't really care anyway."

Bruce wasn't sure if he believed that. 'How could he "not care" if he went from having a huge dinner with family and friends to potentially being starved Thanksgiving night?' Just the thought of Roy going hungry on Thanksgiving, of all days, made Bruce's blood boil. He took a deep breath and got it under control though. "Thanksgiving isn't exactly a huge deal around here, but we are having dinner," he said.

"Alfred, can I still make the pie?" Dick asked hopefully.

"Of course Master Dick," Alfred answered. "As long as we don't have a repeat of last year."

Roy blinked. "What happened last year?"

Alfred gave Dick a look, to which the boy rolled his eyes. "You burn one pie and no one ever lets you forget it."

"If I remember correctly the entire kitchen was filled with smoke."

"Not the entire kitchen…."

"Master Roy, perhaps you'd like to help."

"I-I can't cook," Roy said cautiously.

"Neither can Dick," Bruce assured him.

"Hey!" Dick objected. He looked at Roy with pleading eyes. "Come on, Roy! Please?" Roy sighed. Why was it so hard to resist Dick when he looked like that?

"Ok, fine."

"Yes!" Dick finished his breakfast and ran around the table to grab Roy's hand. "Let's go!"

"Go where?"

"To watch the parade!" Dick flipped over the couch, somersaulted across the cushions, and grabbed the remote. "The parade is starting!"

"You really like this parade, don't you?'

"It's so colorful! There's balloons and dancing and acrobats! It kind of reminds me of the circus."

Roy nodded as he sat next to him. "Ok." Bruce walked in, still holding his coffee.

"Bruce, come watch with us."

"Are you sure you want me to watch with you Dick?" he asked. "You have Roy this year-" He stopped when Dick turned around and gave him a pleading look. "Fine." He caught Roy smiling a little bit from the corner of his eye, but quickly looked away before the teen realized he'd noticed. The three of them watched the parade with Roy and Dick on the couch and Bruce sipping his coffee in an armchair. At one point acrobats were flipping and cartwheeling their way down the street. Dick was excited at first but then started critiquing them.

"That one on the left, with the red hair, she needs to kick her legs up more. That blonde guy should jump a few more inches. His flip would have a much better landing that way."

"What are you, some kind of expert?" Roy asked.

Dick smirked. "Expert? I'm a professional."

"A professional dweeb."

"Hey!" Dick elbowed him in the ribs, then froze when he realized it might not have been the best move. Roy didn't freak out though. He smiled and elbowed Dick back.

"You heard me." Bruce hid his smile behind his coffee mug. It was nice to see Roy relaxed and the boys were friends. Roy needed a friend and Dick obviously loved the company. It gave Bruce some satisfaction that they were so close.

— —

"Ok, you have to cut and peel the apples," Dick said. "I'll mix the filling."

"Why do I have to cut them?" Roy asked, already grabbing a knife.

"I said so."

"Who put you in charge?!"

"This was my idea."

Roy flicked an apple peeling at him, which Dick batted away easily. "Why are you so insistent on making this pie?"

"I want to help Alfred." He added cinnamon, accidentally tipping the bag too far and putting in too much. He looked into the bowl and shrugged. "I used to help my mom cook all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We baked cookies and cooked hot dogs and pasta. Sometimes, if the circus stopped somewhere with nice weather or it was summer, we'd cook outside. Sometimes the whole circus would even have a bonfire!"

"Sounds like fun."

"It was the best." Dick cracked an egg against the side of the bowl, then looked inside to search for possible eggshell fragments. "Sometimes my aunt or my dad would cook with us too. My cousin never wanted to help us though."

Roy frowned and looked up at him, momentarily stopping in his cutting. "You had a cousin?"

"Yeah. He was a couple years older than me. We were so close though, he was more like a brother than a cousin. He-he was your age, actually."

"What was his name?"

"John. He was actually kind of like you. You would've liked him." He was mixing the filling, apparently oblivious to the look he was getting from the teen. It was a little strange for Roy to hear so much about Dick's family. Despite living with him for 9 months, Roy had rarely heard about Dick's family. Beyond their conversation in the gym all those months ago and the rare comment when he was having a nightmare, it had never come up in conversation. Which, when Roy really thought about it, was strange considering how open and talkative Dick was. Dick stopped stirring the filling and looked up, now noticing the look he was getting. "What?"

"Nothing." Roy shook his head and held up the bowl of apples, now peeled and cut. "What's next?" They made the pie crust with their combined efforts. Roy was rolling it out into a thin sheet, completely immersed in his task and oblivious to the mischievous smile on Dick's face. The younger boy took a handful of flour and threw it on Roy. The teen coughed and jumped back. "Hey!" he shouted while Dick cackled. "It's not that funny." Dick simply kept laughing, practically doubled-over. Roy eyed the bag of flower, then grabbed a handful himself, and threw it in the boy's face. Dick coughed and wiped it away from his eyes before he could open them.

"Dude!" Roy laughed back at him, causing Dick to throw more flour at him. Roy's hand reached out and found the brown sugar instead, but it didn't matter. He threw a handful at Dick, giving his black hair a light brown coating. "You feeling brave?"

"In front of a little kid?" Roy audibly scoffed, making Dick grin in defiance.

"Who you calling little?" They threw a handful of their respective powders at each other. Dick backflipped away, then dodged to the side. Roy grabbed the entire bag of brown sugar and chased after him. Dick kept throwing handfuls of flour over his shoulder at Roy. This continued for several minutes until they literally ran into Alfred. The old butler stood completely immobile as the two boys fell on the floor from the impact, spilling half the contents of their respective bags. Alfred didn't say anything, merely turning his head slightly to the side and raising one eyebrow in a disapproving way.

"Sorry Alfred," the two boys said in unison. Alfred still said nothing, simply crossing his arms and looking down at them.

"We'll clean it up Alfie," Dick assured him. "Promise."

Roy nodded in agreement. "Absolutely." Alfred still didn't say anything, but simply walked away. Dick and Roy looked at each other as they got up.

"Alfred never looks that mad."

"That was mad?" Dick nodded.

"Alfred isn't like most people. He doesn't yell and stuff when he's mad. He just…gets mad in an Alfred-sort-of-way."

"I can tell."

"We should finish the pie and clean this up before he comes back." Making the rest of the pie went simply and straightforward. They got all the pieces together without creating an even bigger mess. Cleaning up the spilled flour and brown sugar took a while since they'd managed to get it everywhere. Including all over themselves. Once they were done Roy took a shower to get all the powder out of his hair and off his skin. The flour made him look even paler than his normal skin tone. Dick was done before him and was in the study, excitedly telling Bruce about a project he was working on in school. " -which is really weird, because he never makes us present things twice in the same month. I think he's doing it to be mean."

"I'm sure your teachers aren't being mean Dick," Bruce replied idly, looking at something in a folder.

"He says that it's because in middle school they make you give presentations all the time. Is that true? Will I have to do it a lot in middle school?"

"Why would you be nervous about this?" Bruce's back was turned to Roy as he walked in. "You're a performer. You should love being in front of people."

"Maybe he only likes performing in tights." Bruce and Dick both jumped, turning quickly to look at Roy. It took the teen a few seances to realize he'd just said his thoughts out loud and he quickly put his hands over his mouth. "I'm sorry," he mumbled through them. "I'm sorry." Dick scowled, but in a way that made him look like an angry puppy; while Bruce looked shocked, but quickly defaulted back into neutral. Dick stuck his tongue out.

"Says you!" He attacked Roy, trying to wrestle him to the ground. While they were doing that, Bruce took a moment to marvel at the fact that Roy had been able to sneak up on him. It would've impressed him more if he could forget that it was a skill Roy had needed to survive with Oliver.

'Better not to think about that now,' he decided, watching as Dick easily pinned Roy down. 'Roy's here. He's safe and he's happy.' At least, Bruce hoped he was. True, he didn't have any exact proof that Roy was happy in Gotham, but he hoped he was.

"I win!" Dick declared, sitting on Roy's back with the teen's arms pulled behind his back. Roy didn't say anything, but Bruce did notice the slight look of discomfort on Roy's face.

"Dick," he said warningly. "Let him go." Dick got up, somersaulting backward off of Roy's back. Alfred walked in just as the boys were getting to their feet.

"Dinner is ready," he informed them. Dick beamed and grabbed Roy's hand. He pulled him down the hall to the dining room without saying anything. Roy's eyes widened comically when he saw how much food was on the table. Dick looked back at him and laughed.

"That was how I reacted my first year. Come on!" They sat down just as Bruce and Alfred came in. "Are we eating now?"

"Yes, we're eating now," Alfred smiled.

"Alfred, sit next to me!"

"Of course Master Dick." Bruce paused as he was about to sit down in his usual seat. Normally he sat at the head of the table and the boys sat on either side of him. At the moment they were sitting at their usual least with Alfred sitting next to Dick. Deciding to try and make Roy feel more included, Bruce chose instead to sit next to him. Roy didn't tense but did look slightly apprehensive. Alfred gave Bruce a subtle nod of approval. Bruce cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Let's dig in before it gets cold," he said. Roy only hesitated for a few seconds before filling his plate, which made Bruce's night.

"Alfred, what're you thankful for?" Dick asked, shoveling a large bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Dick."

"I am thankful to have you three," Alfred told Dick, making the boy grin widely. "What are you grateful for, young sir?"

"I'm thankful that there's a new Robin Hood comic coming out next month and that we're all together." He looked across the table. "Bruce?"

Bruce opened his mouth, fully prepared to just dodge the question, but one look from Alfred told him he should rethink that. "I'm um….thankful we can all enjoy this wonderful feast Alfred prepared."

"And the apple pie Roy and I made!"

"And the apple pie."

Dick smiled in satisfaction and looked expectantly at Roy. "What about you Roy?" Roy was looking down at his plate. He'd stopped eating and was playing with his food. "Roy?" Roy swallowed.

"I…, " he said, unsure. "I'm thankful to be safe and that I'm not hungry. I'm really thankful to be here." Bruce felt like maybe he should….put his hand on Roy's shoulder or something, but then decided against it. Luckily, he had Dick and Alfred.

"We're thankful that you're here too Roy."

Alfred nodded in agreement. "We're incredibly thankful you're safe Master Roy and we're happy you're here. Right, Master Bruce?"

"Uh….yes. Of course." Roy looked away again, going back to his food. Truthfully, Bruce was thankful that Roy was away from Oliver. He was happy that Roy felt safe. There was certainly a lot they had to be thankful for this year.

— —

It was later that night when Roy heard it. He was walking to his bedroom after grabbing a book he'd left in the library when he heard someone crying. It was soft and a little hard to make out, but it was definitely there. He stopped in the hall, trying to remember where all the occupants of the Manor were. Alfred finishing up cleaning the kitchen and Bruce had disappeared in the direction of the Batcave. The only person left was Dick. He wandered towards Dick's room and lightly kicked on the door. "Dick?" he asked. There was no response, only more crying. Hesitating for a second, he opened the door cautiously. Dick was sitting on the floor next to his bed. He was curled up in a ball and sobbing quietly. "Dick?" Worry started taking over in Roy's mind. "Are you ok?" He sat down next to the boy, who shook his head and hugged Roy fiercely. Roy wrapped his arms around the small, quivering frame and held him close. "What's wrong?"

"I-I miss them…" Dick whispered, still crying.

"Them?" It took Roy a minute to think of it. "Your family?"

Dick nodded, face pressed into Roy's shoulder. He took a shaky breath. "Sometimes it doesn't hurt so much, but on holidays like today-" He couldn't go on and just kept crying. There was no need for him to go on though. Roy hugged him tight and rested his head on Dick's. He didn't really know what to say, so he said what he wished someone had said to him after Brave Bow died.

"It's ok to feel sad. You'll feel better eventually though. Everything's going to be ok." He wasn't really sure if what he was saying was the best, but apparently, it was since Dick cuddled closer. He kept crying for a few minutes while Roy hugged him. Eventually, though, he was able to calm down a little bit.

"You remind me of him." He looked up at Roy. "My cousin. You're a lot like him. You-You would've liked him." He started crying again, hugging Roy closer. "I'm really happy you're here though."

"You are?" Dick nodded into his shirt.

"I like when you're here. We play games and hang out and when you're here….I feel better." He sniffled. "Like we're a family."

Roy blinked. "I'm glad you like having me around." He hugged Dick closer. Dick kept crying and clinging to Roy like he was a life preserver to the world.

"Please don't go away like them… Please…."

"I'm not going anywhere, Dick. I promise."


	48. Fear and Self-loathing

A/N: Time for an update. Enjoy.

"Scarecrow escaped from Arkham." Commissioner Gordon knew there was no time or point in beating around the bush. Batman needed to know and he needed to know now. As expected, Batman didn't immediately react outwardly to the news. Scarecrow escaping wasn't necessarily as bad as Joker escaping, but it was still really bad news.

"We'll track him down," Batman replied. "How long has he been gone?"

Gordon cringed. "A week." Batman's lips thinned and Robin crossed his arms and shook his head. "I've had words with the warden-"

"Were they in reference to him no longer having a job?"

"…..No."

"Then they were the wrong ones." Batman turned away and leaped off the rooftop; Robin and Arsenal following close behind. "We'll start searching known warehouses where he's stored his chemicals in the past," Batman said once they were in the Bat-mobile.

"I think the Arkham doctors are getting worse at their jobs," Robin remarked from the backseat.

"That implies they were good at them in the first place." Neither of the boys could rest the urge to smile at that. "Stop smiling you two. We need to find Scarecrow. He's been out long enough that he could've found or developed a new strain of fear toxin."

"At least we know he won't try teaming up with Joker again."

"Why not?" Arsenal asked.

"Scarecrow sprayed him with fear gas. Then Joker beat him with a chair."

"Wow."

"Thankfully, there are only certain labs in town where Crane can find the chemicals he needs," Batman said. "Robin, look for any recent break-ins at labs-"

"There's a chemical manufacturing plant that reported a break-in," Robin reported, his holo-glove allowing him to hack the GCPD's computers.

"Which one?"

"The one on the Gotham River. It's owned by….Lex Corp. At least it's not owned by Queen Industries." Yes, the last thing Batman needed was to deal with on top of Scarecrow was Oliver Queen. Or rather, Roy's fear of him. Especially since fear was Scarecrow's M.O.

"I know Lex Corps facility. It's big and there are two potential labs where he's trying to steal the chemicals from. You and Arsenal will go in through a different entrance. If you find Scarecrow, contact me and keep an eye on him. Don't-"

"Don't engage, we know." The Batmobile had stopped, so Batman was able to glare at him. Robin stared back, completely unfazed. Arenal fidgeted slightly until the stare down finally broke.

"Go." The two boys exited at Batmobile and snuck along the shadows towards the building. There was a fence topped with razor wire at the edge of the facility. A sign on the chain-link material informed them it was also electrified. Robin smiled, running straight at the fence and doing several front flips. Every flip got him higher in the air until he finally cleared the fence.

"Good work," Arsenal whispered. "Just one question….how am I supposed to get over?!"

"Do what I did?"

"…Seriously?" Arsenal looked around, then studied the fence again. The barbed wire at the top was very closely intertwined. Another sick survey told him a box near one of the fence posts was probably one of the sources of electricity. It gave him an idea. He stepped back several feet and carefully selected an arrow from his quiver. He pointed it at the box and shot it. The electroshock arrow related it's own torrent of electricity, disabling the portion of the fence. Moving quickly, Arsenal shot another arrow at the barbed wire. He hit a button on the side of the cylinder arrowhead before shooting it. While it was in the air there was a hiss and the arrowhead expanded into a boxing glove. It hit the barbed wire, getting tangled in it. The momentum was enough to pull the barbed wire down a few inches. It wasn't far, but it was enough. He stowed his bow on his back and started climbing. It was effortless to get himself near the top, then flip over the top. He kicked off the fence, pulling himself the rest of the way with his arms. He skimmed the top where the barbed wire was pulled down and landed carefully on the other side.

"That's one way to do it. Come on." They ran to the closest building, which wasn't far from the fence and press against the outside wall. They edged along it until they reached a door. "Cover me." Arsenal moved away from the wall; grabbing his bow and nocking an arrow to it in on smooth motion. He kept an eye out while Robin picked the lock on the door. There was a physical knock in the nob he had to take care of, and another, heavier lock above it. "Guess Luthor hasn't heard of this thing called technology yet."

"Because he uses old school locks?"

"On a top-level-security chemical plant! You think he'd have a card reader or keypad or fingerprint scanner or something better!"

"After this, he probably will." Robin got the door unlock and smiled victoriously.

"Come on." The two boys slipped into the building, closing the door behind them. The lights turned on automatically when they walked in. Arsenal did a quick sweep before lowering his arrow.

"No one's here."

"Let's find a room with a computer. I need to find the manufacturing room we're looking for."

"Ok." They moved silently down the hall, Robin testing doors as they came across them. Most of the doors were locked with all of these actually requiring a card be scanned. Thankfully it only took then ten minutes to come across a door labeled 'Security'. Robin froze, holding out his hand to stop Arsenal. The door was cracked open, with a hand sticking out into the hall. They looked at each other for a moment before Arsenal raised his arrow and Robin pulled out his escrima sticks. He kicked the door open and Arsenal did a fast scan, looking for any danger. There was none though. The room had three walls lined with monitors on tables. There were five security guards in the room, all of whom were dead. The two vigilantes did a quick check, searching desperately for any sign life.

"They're dead," Arsenal said quietly, feeling uneasy at the slit throats of the guards. "All of them."

Robin turned away and activated his comm. "Batman, we found five dead guards dead in the South building."

"Four guards are dead in the East Building as well," Batman replied. "Be careful. He could be in either building."

"Right." Robin dropped his hand and turned to Arsenal. "We have to figure out where he is. If we searched these monitors we should find him." They split up and started clicking through various security cam feeds. After several minutes Robin finally found what they were looking for. "There!"

"Where?" Arsenal looked over his shoulder.

"He's in the chemical lab on the second floor."

"Let's go!"

"Go?!" Robin gave him a disbelieving look. "Batman told us not to engage."

"We have to stop him!"

"We will once we tell him where Scarecrow is!"

"Come on Robin, we can take him, There's two of us and one of him. Plus you're always saying I catch people by surprise."

"Yeah but-"

"Come on! We can do it, I know we can! I survived meeting Joker alone and he's the craziest one out there." Robin sighed. He glanced back at the monitor, then at Arsenal. He smiled.

"Let's go get him." The two of them left the security room and made their way up to the second floor. Robin checked the door to see if ti was locked. It wasn't. They slipped through, making sure the door closed silently behind them. The drop they needed was down a different hall, so they started moving toward the corner. The building felt particularly empty for some reason as they tip-toed down the hall. The shadows were so deep they could easily hide the two of them. Arsenal turned the corner with his arrow first, but they didn't meet any resistance. Luckily the lab they were looking for was easily marked. It was also the only door in the hall that was cracked open. They shared a look before Robin pushed it open just enough for the two of them to slip through.

The bright lights were on in the lab. The room was filled with equipment along the walls and work tables in neat rows in the center. Bunsen burners, beakers, and test tubes filled with various liquids were all over them. A man was standing at one of the tables, his back to the door. Without warning or consulting Robin, Arsenal pulled an arrow from his quiver a nocked it. Moving before he could be stopped, he shot the arrow at Scarecrow, knowing the vial out of his hand. Robin dove to the ground and threw a bat-a-rang at the man. The vial shattered and released a gas into their air that Scarecrow was now trying to prevent himself from inhaling.

"Robin," he hissed through the fabric. His eyes found the other young vigilante in the room. The archer who must've broken the vial. His eyes narrowed. Joker had said he wasn't as much "fun" as Robin was. 'This kid needs to be taught a lesson.'

"Give yourself up and you can be back in your cell by breakfast time," Robin said.

"I'm impressed you think you can take me on without the Batman, little bird."

"Arsenal and I-"

"Arsenal?" Crane looked at the archer, who had another arrow pointed at him. "What kind of an arsenal are you? Batman's?" He saw the tremor go through the teen's body at that. "Does that scare you? Are you scared of what your name implies? Why does Batman need an arsenal anyway? Was Robin not enough?"

"I think you should stop talking," Arsenal said shakily.

"Should I?" Scarecrow's full attention was focused on the archer now, ignoring Robin completely. "Maybe you should've stayed away." He lunged at the archer catching him off guard. Arsenal's next arrow missed him by a foot, hitting a rock of test tubes. The glass vial all shattered when they hit the ground, causing a small explosion. Robin pulled his cape over his body for protection and backed up, placing him farther away from Arsenal and Scarecrow. The two of them meanwhile, were grappling for control. Scarecrow was surprised by the strength Arsenal had. The teen was starting to gain the upper hand and was close to pinning him to the ground. He smiled and, before Arsenal could react, pulled out a skull and sprayed something on his face. Arsenal coughed and backed up. He tried to take several deep breaths, but that only served to make him start hacking even more. It took a few seconds for him to get his breathing under control, but that did little to help.

Arsenal's vision was blurred and the sounds were muted like he was underwater. He dropped his bow in his hate to try and clear his head. His heart was pounding in his chest that was strangely familiar. He closed his eyes, struggling to maintain control. After a minute he felt a presence standing over him and opened his eyes. Batman was looming over him. "B-Batman…" Arsenal croaked out.

"Up," Batman ordered. He turned away and walked to a spot several feet away. He knelt down briefly, then stood up and turned back around. Arsenal gasped. Robin was lying limply in the Bat's arms.

"Is he ok?!" Batman didn't answer.

Arsenal stood up and looked around. "What- How-" They were back in the Bat Cave! His confusion was momentarily put on hold when he spotted Batman bringing the unconscious Robin to the Batcave's infirmary. He followed quickly behind, trying to get a good look at him. "Is he ok?" Batman laid Robin down on the examination table gently. "Bruce answer me-" Roy stopped suddenly and stumped back when Batman turned around suddenly. He stared the teen down intensely. "Bruce-" He didn't even see the fist coming. Pain exploded on the side of his face and he stumbled to the side. Shock toured through him as he ran a hand over his face. "What-" His voice died instantly when Batman picked him up by the front of his shirt. "Bruce….?"

"You hurt my son," Batman growled. "You disobeyed me."

"I-I just wanted to catch Scarecrow-"

"Don't interrupt me!" Batman threw him on the ground and stomped on his leg. Roy cried out in pain. "You disobeyed me."

"I'm sorry…." Batman grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room. Arsenal stumbled behind him, trying desperately to keep up.

"Get changed." Wanting to avoid getting hit again, Roy quickly changed out of his suit. Once he was he found Bruce by the stairs that led back to the Manor. Bruce had changed out of his Batman clothes so now Roy could see his face. The anger and resentment made his stomach shrivel up. He took a step back, only for Bruce to grab his arm and drag him up the stairs.

"Bruce I-"

"Shut up," Bruce growled. He dragged Roy through the Manor and towards the front door.

"What's going on?" Bruce didn't say anything to him. He opened the front door and Roy's heart stopped. Oliver was standing outside with his arms cross and a confident smirk on his face. "What- What's going on?!" Oliver simply smirked at him, making Roy shrink away from him. Unfortunately, that did little help him since Bruce dragged Roy forward by his arm and handed him off to Oliver. "Wait-"

"Take him," Bruce said to Oliver as the latter took possession of Roy's arm.

"Bruce! Bruce, please!" Roy pulled and pulled, trying desperately to get his arm free. Bruce looked at him.

"You should've listened to me."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry please don't let him take me!"

"I'm not letting him take you, I'm giving you back to him." Bruce's lip curled in disgust. "You really stupid, aren't you?" Roy started crying.

"No, please don't send me back! Please, I'll do anything!"

"You shouldn't have disobeyed me."

"Please, Bruce, please! I'm sorry! I'll behave! I'll listen, I swear!"

"Too late. You're a disobedient, waste of space. You deserve to go back with Oliver."

"No please! I'll do anything! Please!" Roy tried to get his arm free, but Oliver's grip was like iron. He looked back to discover Bruce was walking away. "Bruce come back! Please! Don't send me back I'll be good!"

Oliver laughed as Bruce disappeared into the darkness. "Looks like he didn't want you." Roy didn't reply, still crying. "Let's go."

"I don't want to go back with you!" Roy tried to dig his heels into the ground, but it was no use.

"Don't-" Oliver jerked his arm downwards, forcing Roy to bend over a little bit. "Talk back to me. You're already going to get the punishment of a lifetime when we get home." Roy forgot how to breathe, which Oliver noticed. "Did you think I would forget your punishment? You run away and betrayed me. You told people what I was doing. I warned you what I would do to you if you ever told anyone."

"Ollie, please…"

"You're coming back to work with me, Speedy." Roy swallowed, shaking his head. Oliver smirked at him. "I hope you like sleeping in that trunk and not eating."

"No, Ollie please!" Oliver started pulling him away from the Manor. "Please, no! I'll be good Ollie! I'll behave and I'll listen!"

"Shut up!" Oliver threw him on the ground and Roy scraped his hands. He stared up at Oliver, who kicked him in the side. Roy tried to roll away, but found he couldn't move! His arms and legs weren't cooperating.

'Why can't I move?!' He thought desperately, thrashing back and forth. "Don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!" He closed his eyes as he kept trying to get himself free. He opened his eyes and an artificial light almost blinded him. He looked around, but the front of the Manor was gone. He was somewhere with a lot of metallic equipment and beeping. Very erratic, loud beeping. His arms and legs were still trapped though. "Let me go! Let me go please!" Someone was talking to him, but he couldn't hear them over his yelling and the beeping. "Don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!" Where had Oliver brought him?! A lab?! Was he going to let someone do experiments on him?! There was a hand on his arm, but that only scared him more. "Don't hurt me please!" More hands were on his arm, keeping it pinned down. Something sharp pricked it and then the hands moved. Roy continued to thrash back and forth, begging not to be hurt. After two minutes though, his limbs got heavier. Moving them got harder and harder and his eyes started drooping. Roy tried his head to the side and saw a vague shape standing next to him. He was too tired to make out the details. "Please…..don't hurt me…please…."

Someone put a hand on his head. "No one's going to hurt you…." The words were getting softer and farther away. "It's ok…. No one's going to hurt you…."

— —

The next time Roy woke up everything was a lot clearer. It only took a few seconds to get his bearings and figure out he was in the Batcave's infirmary. There were dried tear tracks on his face. He tried to move his arm to wipe his eyes, only to realize he couldn't move them. He looked down in confusion to see that his wrists and ankles were restrained to the bed with velcro. "What-"

"Try not to move Master Roy," Alfred advised. Roy looked at him, still really confused. The butler slowly undid the restraints. "Sorry about this Master Roy, but we were afraid you would hurt yourself, or someone else."

"What happened?" Roy asked.

"Fear toxin, sir. You were having vivid hallucinations due to its effects."

"Hallucinations?" The whole sequence of Bruce handing him over to Oliver felt so real.

"Yes. You were quite panicked once you were brought out of it and I had to sedate you."

"Oh…" Roy sat up once he was free.

"Your heart rate is normal and I see no visible signs of stress. How do you feel?"

"Ok, I guess…." Bruce walked in and Roy's voice got silent. His eyes found the tense look on Bruce's face. He looked angry.

"Alfred, I need to speak to Roy alone please," Bruce said, not taking his eyes off the teen.

"Of course, sir." Alfred left Roy's side, but stopped briefly next to Bruce to whisper, "Go easy on him."

"Bruce I-" Roy stopped when Bruce put his hand up. There was a tense silence for a moment. "Is Dick ok?"

"Yes, he is, no thanks to you." Roy swallowed. "What were you thinking Roy? Actually, scratch that, you weren't! Why would you do something so reckless?! You disobeyed me! You went after Scarecrow after I specifically told you not too! You could've gotten Dick killed! You could've gotten yourself killed! You couldn't possibly be so stupid!" Roy started shaking, but Bruce didn't notice. "You're 15 and you've been doing this for three years! You should be making better decisions than the 10-year-old! I expect better from you! Your amateurish work will not be repeated! Is that understood?!" Roy didn't answer due to his shaking and all of his energy being focused on trying not to freak out. "Is that understood Roy?!" Bruce unconsciously took a step towards Roy, whose whole body flinched back violently.

"Y-Yes, sir…" he stammered quietly. Bruce left and Roy finally lost what little control he had of his brain. Panic engulfed it and he started hyperventilating. He still had electrodes from the heart monitor on his chest, so the beeping was once again loud and erratic. Alfred came running back in, coming to his side immediately.

"Master Roy, you need to calm down. Breathe….In….Out….In…..Out…." It was hard to follow Alfred's voice. There was so little oxygen getting into his lungs that it was all his brain could focus on. Unfortunately, it only made it worse for him as his neck and back muscles trained to breathe; looking reminiscent of an asthma attack. His arms started to go numb, which only served to scare him more. Alfred moved quickly and moved so he was right in Roy's direct line of sight. "You're safe here sir. You're safe, I'm not going to hurt you." Alfred kept up his talking and helping Roy breathe until the panic attack had mostly subsided. "Are you ok sir?"

Roy was still shaking and didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was quiet and fragile. "I'm sorry…."

"You have no reason to apologize sir."

"I was bad…."

Alfred seemed to consider his next words carefully. "While you did make mistakes while facing Scarecrow, you shouldn't be sorry for having a panic attack." Roy looked away and didn't say anything. "You should get some rest, sir. Lay down." Roy laid back down and Alfred adjusted a wire so that he could be comfortable again.

"Are-Are you going to restrain me again?"

"I see no reason why I should."

"Ok…." Roy still kept his arms and legs close to his body while he was in bed though. It was difficult to lay on his side while he had the wires attached, but he managed it. Alfred didn't say anything, but simply readjusted the wires so he could be comfortable. "Where's Dick?"

"Master Dick is asleep upstairs."

"Ok…" Alfred sat down in a chair next to the bed in Roy's line of sight. "You're staying here?"

"Of course, sir."

"Oh…. Thanks…" Roy didn't go back to sleep, but simply stared out at the wall, wondering why he was such a screw-up.

— —

The next few days were tense ones. Roy rarely came out of his room unless it was to eat or have his lesson with Alfred. He and Dick had been benched for a few days, Roy longer than Dick, as punishment for going off without permission. Which didn't really bother Roy, since he wasn't eager to anger Bruce again with his own incompetence and stupidity. Every time he saw Bruce he thought about getting yelled at and suddenly grew afraid. Would Bruce send him away because of this? Would he give him back to Oliver? Would Bruce beat him for endangering Dick's life? Dick was his son after all. It was really ungrateful of Roy to endanger him after Bruce had done so much for him. So, Roy spent most of the time hiding in his room. He ignored Dick's constant knocking and trying to get him to come out. The boy figured out by the second day Roy wasn't coming out, so he'd changed tactics. He sat outside the door with a book and read to him through the door. He didn't know why Roy was acting so weird, but he was determined to make everything better. He wasn't the only one who noticed the strange behavior.

Alfred grew more worried about Roy as he observed regressive behavior after another. It started with Roy's school work slipping in quality. He struggled with things that he'd been doing fine on before and seemed to have much less confidence than before. He hesitated and stuttered when giving answers and seemed to grow afraid of giving a wrong one. He hadn't acted like this in months, so the sudden behavior change was slightly alarming. It became more alarming when his eating habits changed. Roy didn't stop eating altogether but he would pick at his food rather than eat it. Alfred tried varying the portions, trying to see if more or less food would change this, but it didn't. Roy looked hungry all the time, despite being given are then enough food. On top of all that, he also looked tired. His nightmares, which were still frequent but not as intense, seemed to have taken a sudden, sharp increase in intensity. He'd wake up screaming and shaking, covered in a cold sweat. Dick and Alfred always came running to wake him up and clam him down, but Bruce didn't. Once or twice Alfred caught him hiding in the doorway, but he never tried to intervene and help. Growing more worried about Roy's behavior, Alfred brought it up with Bruce.

"I'm sure he's fine Alfred," Bruce said, not even looking up from his work.

"Master Bruce, he's acting in ways he hasn't for many months."

"How so?"

"He's hiding in his bedroom."

"So he wants his space."

"He's not eating."

"He always has weird eating habits."

"His nightmares-"

"He always has those Alfred."

"Master Bruce, this is serious."

"It's not serious! Roy is fine. If anything, he's probably shaken from the disastrous fight with Scarecrow."

Alfred's mouth tightened. He wanted to keep pressing the issue but knew it owed get him nowhere with Bruce. "I sincerely hope you're right."

Bruce didn't think too much about Roy's strange behavior. He wrote it off as Roy's normal, abnormal behavior and went on with life. That is until, a week and a half after the Scarecrow incident, he overheard Roy talking to Dick in the library.

"-so then Bruce only had enough antidote for one of us and he gave it to me because he wasn't thinking," Dick explained.

"That's why you were better so much faster?" Roy asked.

"Yes." There was a brief moment of silence.

"So, Bruce chose not to give me the antidote?" The tone of defeat in Roy's voice was actually pretty concerning.

"I guess…." Dick sounded confused about what Roy had said.

"He probably did it because he wanted to punish me." Bruce blinked.

"What?! No, Roy, Bruce would never do something like that! He didn't have enough antidote with him is all."

"Are you sure he didn't have enough on purpose? He's Batman, why wouldn't have enough for us both unless he didn't want to give me any?"

"Well…" Dick struggled to find an answer. "I mean…."

"See? He was trying to punish me."

"I'm sure there's an explanation. Bruce would never do that to you, Roy." Bruce walked into the room and cleared his throat. The boys were sitting on the ground playing cards. They looked at him and it wasn't hard to see the fear in Roy's eyes. "What's up?" Bruce looked away, suddenly uncomfortable with the gaze.

"Dick, I need to talk to Roy alone," he said.

"Ok." Dick gave Roy an encouraging look before he left. There was a tense silence as Bruce stood there, unsure of what to do. As much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't really paid that much attention to Roy in the last week. He looked so tired and scared. Bruce honestly hadn't seen Roy so stressed in a long time. Roy kept his eyes down as he sat on the ground. Look closely, he could see a tremor running through Roy's spine.

'Why is he so scared?' It'd been months since Roy had been that scared.

"If you're going to do something just do it," Roy said quietly.

"What're you talking about?"

Roy flinched. "Just get it over with already, please?"

"Get what over with?"

"….HItting me…"

Bruce sighed, not seeing how it made Roy tense up even more. "You know I'm not going to hit you, Roy."

"No, I don't."

"Why don't you know that?"

"I almost got Dick killed." Roy bowed his head even more and curled up into a ball. The quiet sounds of sobbing reached him.

"Roy, stop crying." The abrupt stop only made Bruce more concerned.

"Sorry…."

Bruce took a step back. There was something he was missing and he needed to figure it out. "Roy, why do you think I'll hit you?"

"Dick almost died. Why wouldn't you beat me for that?"

"Because it would be wrong." He'd thought he'd been getting through to Roy in the last couple of months, where was this coming from?!

"No! Dick almost died and it's all my fault! You should punish me! You should beat me, or lock me in a closet, or-or-"

"Roy. Roy, stop it!" Bruce knelt down and held Roy's shoulders firmly. His shout made the teen flinch. "Dick is fine. He's fine-"

"No thanks to me!" Roy pulled his legs closer to his chest if that was even possible. "I'm stupid and incompetent."

"Why would you think that?"

"You said so."

"What?! When did I…" Bruce's voice died when he realized he had said that. When Roy had woken up from the effects of the fear toxin. His hand jumped off Roy's shoulders like they'd been burned. "No, no Roy I didn't mean it like that-"

"Yes, you did. I'm stupid, I can't do anything right. I've been a vigilante for 3 years and I couldn't even protect Dick! I'm worthless just like Oliver always said."

"You're not worthless." It was slowly dawning on Bruce how bad his choice of words had been. "You made a mistake-"

"A mistake that almost got Dick killed-"

"And you! You made a mistake, you both almost died, but that doesn't mean you're stupid."

"But you said-"

"I shouldn't have said it. I should never have called you stupid."

"I disobeyed you." The fact that Roy said it like it was an irrefutable fact broke Bruce's heart.

"That doesn't mean I have the right to tell you that you're stupid or incompetent." Roy very clearly didn't believe him. Bruce sighed quietly as quilt gnawed at his stomach. He hadn't meant to make Roy feel like this. When he'd yelled at Roy he'd been angry and scared. Angry that Roy and Dick had almost died and scared because of how severe Roy's reaction to the fear toxin had been. He swallowed as he remembered the teen crying out in pain, despite no on hurting him, and sobbing while pulling at anyone who touched him. That didn't matter though. Bruce had yelled at Roy and made him feel worthless. He suddenly remembered Alfred coming to him a few days before. The guilt suddenly got twice as bad. Not eating, the increased nightmares, the fear….he'd caused that. There was no blaming it on Oliver this time. No one to blame but himself. He'd treated Roy the same way Oliver always did. "I'm sorry…" It came quiet and kind of hoarse, but Roy still heard him. He slowly looked up, removing his face from his legs.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel like this. I had no right to say those things."

"You're….apologizing?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because what I did was wrong. I-I did what Oliver used to do. I yelled at you and made you feel like you were worthless, which you're not. You're not. Do you understand, Roy? What I did was wrong."

Roy looked down. "I shouldn't have gone after Scarecrow. You should be mad at me."

"Yes, I should be, but that doesn't excuse me calling you stupid and incompetent. Nothing does." Roy still didn't look convinced. "I just want you to know that I would never hurt you. No matter what, I will never beat you." He reached out, but Roy pulled away. Bruce let his hand drop.

"Will you get rid of me?" Roy asked quietly after a minute.

"What do you mean 'get rid of you'?"

"Will you send me back to Ollie? Like you did-" He stopped suddenly, peaking Bruce's confusion even more.

"Like I did when?" Roy looked away. "Did that happen in a nightmare?"

"Not exactly…"

"When did it happen then?" Roy didn't answer right away. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." If he could help. He just didn't want to make it worse. Again. Roy seemed to think about it for a minute before he answered.

"When I was….hallucinating."

"The fear toxin?" Roy nodded.

"You-You were mad at me for endangering Dick and you…you handed me over to Ollie. You just….gave me back to him without a second thought." Bruce had honestly thought it wasn't possible to feel any more guilty or ashamed of himself, but he was wrong. Roy had gone through a vivid break from reality where Bruce was angry at him and handed him over to Oliver, only to wake up and find Bruce angry at him. Roy had probably been walking around the past week waiting for Oliver to show up and take him away. "Roy, it was just a hallucination. That's all it was."

"You were mad though because I endangered Dick."

"I know I was, but I would never send you back to him. Never, do you understand me? Oliver will never come near you again as long as I'm here. I promise."

"You'll get sick of me. He did."

"I'm not Oliver. I won't get sick of you, I promise. I swear it, Roy, I will never beat you and I will never hand you over to Oliver." Roy buried his face back in his legs again. "Are you scared right now?" Roy nodded. "Are you scared of me?" Another nod. What Bruce figured. As much as he wanted to sit there and try to reassure Roy he wouldn't hurt him, he decided it would be cruel to make Roy stay near him. "You can go. Just…." He didn't know what he wanted Roy to do. Eat. Sleep. Be happy. "Just rest. Ok?"

"Yes, sir." Roy got up and quickly left the room. Bruce sighed again, taking a moment to lament the fact that Roy had stopped using his name again.

'What've I done?' he thought miserably. 'I keep making this worse. I cause him to have panic attacks and I do things I know I shouldn't do. I treated him like Oliver used to.' He was honestly disgusted with himself for this. 'Roy deserves better. So much better.' That thought was the only thing in Bruce's mind as he got to his feet and left the manor's library. He went to his study and shut the door to make sure that he wouldn't be disturbed. Still focused on this one thought, he sat down at his desk and took out his phone.

"Hello?" Barry asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Barry." Bruce took a breath. He could hear Kid Flash talking in the background. "I think Roy should come live with you." There was a moment of silence on the other side.

"I'm sorry…. Did you just say you wanted Roy to come live with me?" The noise in the background suddenly got quieter and Bruce could only assume he'd moved into another room.

"Not that I wanted him to. I think he should."

Barry took a very audibly deep breath. "May I ask why?" Very briefly, Bruce explained the situation, beginning with the fight with Scarecrow and ending with his conversation with Roy only minutes before. There was another moment of silence before Barry let out a low whistle. "That's…..not good."

"I made him feel worthless, Barry!"

"Yeah, I got that."

"Which is why Roy should live with you. I'm not- I can't do this. I'm not the kind of person he needs."

"Bruce-"

"I can take care of all the arrangements and give you and Iris any financial support you need-"

"Bruce!" Barry didn't usually feel emboldened to yell at Batman, but he rarely heard Batman this vulnerable. It was really unnerving. "Stop and think about what you're saying. Really think about it. You're talking about sending Roy to Central City. Away from Dick, who he trusts and is close to."

"He trusts Wally too."

"I'm just going to say it, this is a terrible idea. It's awful. You can't do it."

"Why not?"

"You said that you made him feel worthless, right? He's already got self-esteem issues, what do you think it'll do to him if you send him away? It certainly won't make him feel better about himself. Besides, didn't you just tell him like 10 minutes ago that you'd never get rid of him? You really wanna go breaking the promise in less than 24 hours?"

"What should I do then? I keep making things worse."

"Then you deal with it. You keep trying to make things better."

"I've been trying-"

"Then keep trying! Bruce, if you send him here, he'll never learn to trust people. You don't want that do you?"

"No, of course not."

"I know this is hard. It's just one of those things where it'll get worse before it gets better. You have to have faith in yourself though. You care about Roy right?"

"Yes."

"You want him to be safe and happy?"

"Of course."

"You want what's best for him?"

"Obviously."

"Then you'll be fine. You messed up but that doesn't mean you can't fix it."

"How can he trust me after this?"

"Because believe it or not, not everyone is super paranoid like you. Roy will get past this and he will trust you again. Believe it or not, I wasn't perfect at this parenting thing when Iris and I took Wally in either. You'll make mistakes, but you still have his best interests at heart and that's what's important."

"I don't know…"

"Look, if you're dead set on it, then we'd be happy to take him. If you want my advice though, don't do it. If you really care about Roy then don't send him away. Stay by his side and help him. Show him that you're different from Oliver. Keep showing him that he's wanted and that you think he's smart and valuable."

"I just don't want to make it worse."

"The worst thing you can do is give up on him."

Bruce sighed. Never in his life had he been so grateful for Barry Allen as a friend. Not that he'd say it of course. "Alright. I'll keep trying."

"Good. I knew you'd make the right decision. You're doing a good job, Bruce. Don't let one set back keep you down."

"I'll try."

"I have to go. Wally and I are going to the movies and if I don't leave soon, I think he'll explode. Good luck." Barry hung up and Bruce sat back in his seat.

'I'm unqualified and Roy deserves better,' he decided with a sigh. 'Not matter what it takes, I want to help him.' He just hoped his own desire to help would be enough.


	49. Trying to Make It Right

A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry, there was no update on Sunday, but I was very busy with schoolwork and I had to re-write the ending to this chapter.

"How was your week?" Dinah wasn't surprised when her question was met with silence. "I'm sorry we couldn't meet last week, but I had a situation in Seattle that needed to be taken care of." For what it was worth, Roy did answer her after a minute of hesitation.

"My week was ok…"

"Ok?" Roy nodded. She didn't believe that for a minute. "Batman mentioned that your nightmares have gotten bad again."

"It's not that bad…"

"Have you slept through the night in the past 7 days?"

"…..no."

"Roy, this is a safe place, remember? Whatever you say its safe here with me. I just want to help you."

"You can't help me with this."

"Why not?"

"Because what happened was my fault."

"What happened?"

Roy swallowed and played with his shoelaces. "I-I almost got Robin killed."

"I doubt it was your fault, Roy."

"It was! Batman- Batman said so."

Dinah was a professional, so she didn't let her annoyance at Bruce show on her face. "He told you it was your fault?"

Roy nodded. "He said that I'm stupid and amateurish."

"He did?"

"I deserved it though."

"Do you remember what we talked about last week, Roy?"

"Um….I'm not responsible for what others do?"

"Why is that?"

"Because….abuse is never my fault. But Bruce isn't… He's never hit me!" The realization hit him harder than he'd expected. "He's never hurt me."

"We've talked about how abuse comes in many forms."

"No, Bruce wouldn't…."

"I know he isn't." If he had been she would get Wonder Woman to help her kick his ass. "The rule about you not controlling the actions of others applies here though."

"How?"

Dinah considered how to help Roy come to the realization on his own. "Why was what you did stupid?"

"I thought that Robin and I could take on Scarecrow alone."

"Why did you think that?"

Roy looked down. "Because I wanted to show Batman that I could do something right. With Green Arrow, I always felt like I was doing the wrong thing, but with Batman, I don't feel like that all the time. I just thought that we could handle him and Batman would see that I'm competent."

"Why is being competent so important to you?"

"If he sees that I'm competent than he'll think I deserve to be treated well."

Dinah considered this for a moment. "Did Bruce treat you well before you became Arsenal?"

"Yeah, but he could've just been trying to get me to let my guard down. Ollie was nice to me the first three weeks I lived with him."

"How long were you living in Gotham before you became Arsenal?"

"Um….three or four months I think."

"So Bruce only acted nice to get you to become Arsenal for several months?"

"Well….maybe…"

"He had Robin, did he need Arsenal?"

"I guess not."

"So if he didn't need Arsenal, why would he put so much effort into manipulating you?"

"I don't know…"

"Is it possible he was just being nice? That his treatment of you isn't in correlation to how competent you are as Arsenal?"

"I guess." Roy hadn't thought about it like that before.

"So, if Bruce is just being nice and, unlike Oliver, isn't trying to use you as a vigilante and only that, is it logical to assume he doesn't want to treat you the way Oliver does?"

"Yes."

Dinah paused momentarily to allow Roy time to process the conversation. "When Bruce called you those things Roy, how did make you feel?"

"Sacred. Worthless."

"Which is how you always felt with Oliver, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember what was the keyword of our abuse definitions?"

Roy thought about, thinking back to his first sessions with her. "It's intentional?"

"Yes. Oliver did what he did because he wanted to intentionally make you feel like that. Do you think that was what Bruce wanted to do?" Roy opened his mouth to say yes but then stopped. The earlier part of their conversation came back to him. Bruce didn't treat him the way Oliver did.

"No."

"I'm not saying what Bruce did was right, but it's important for you to remember that Bruce's actions aren't done for the same reasons Oliver's were. Bruce doesn't want to hurt you."

"I know."

"You do?"

Roy nodded. "I guess I do, but I just…. I just freak out when this kind of stuff happens and I can't stop it!"

Dinah nodded. Roy admitting he knew Oliver's behavior wasn't normal and didn't represent how Bruce would treat him meant that he was ready for the next phase. "Which is why tonight I'm going to teach who you how to stay calm?"

"Really?"

"Yes. I think we can safely say that being yelled at is a trigger for you."

"Ollie yelled at me when he hit me. And before he hit me. And after he hit me." That didn't really surprise Dinah. Having been on the receiving end of Oliver's screaming herself more than once, she knew it could be intimidating. If it was bad for her, who awful must it have been for someone Roy's age?

"So it makes sense then. I'm going to teach you three different techniques today. The first is progressive muscle relaxation for you to use when you start to feel panicked. The second is mediation. The third is how to talk yourself out of a panic attack."

"Ok."

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Ok." She got up and sat down cross-legged on the ground. "Come down here." Roy moved slowly, clearly unsure of her intentions. "I want you to lay down on the ground." Roy did as he was told, heart pounding in fear. "If you're comfortable doing then you can close your eyes."

"I-I'd like to keep them open if I can."

"Of course. First thing I want you to do is to take a deep breath and hold your breath for a few seconds." Roy inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air. "Focus on the air in your lungs. Now exhale and let the tension leave your body as you do." Roy did his best to follow her instructions. "Take another deep breath and hold it." She repeated the first step two more times, having Roy exhale slower each time. It was difficult for him to follow the instruction to let the tension out of his body, but he did his best. "Now turn your attention to your feet. Curl your toes and tense the arch in your foot." Roy did so. "Focus on how the tension feels. How does it feel?"

"Tight."

"Now relax your muscles. Focus on how the feeling of relaxation feels. How does it feel?"

"Loose. Kind of free."

"Now focus on the lower legs. Tense the muscles in your calves and focus on it. Think about how it feels. No relax them and focus on how the relaxation feels." They moved up his body slowly, Dinah telling Roy to tense different parts of his body and relax them. "Don't forget to breathe," she reminded him once they reached his stomach. It was little difficult since he'd also been told to make sure he tensed his stomach and chest harder than and longer than normal. Once they did his face and mouth he thought they'd be done, but no. "Now tense your entire body all at once. Every single muscle. Tense harder but don't strain. Now relax." Let your entire body go limp. Can you feel the relaxation in your muscles?"

"Yes."

"Focus on how different it feels from the tension. Now move your limbs slowly to wake them up. When you're ready, sit up and face me." Roy moved slowly, pushing himself up with his arms, rolling his neck, and bringing his legs up so his feet were flat on the floor. "How was that?"

"It was ok I guess."

"Do you feel calmer now?"

"I kind of do."

"That's good."

"Now we're going to learn meditation."

"This will calm me down too?"

"Hopefully, yes. Sit so you're relaxed. You should have your back straight but not so straight that it's straining. First, you're going to focus on your breathing. Breathe slowly and calmly. When you're feeling anxious you need to accept that you're feeling anxious. Don't fight back against it too hard. I want you to repeat after me. I am feeling anxious right now, but I am ok."

"I am feeling anxious right now, but I am ok."

"This feeling will pass and no harm will come to me."

"This feeling will pass and no harm will come to me."

"I am safe even though I feel frightened."

"I am safe even though I feel tightened."

"I will soon be calm, even though I am experiencing anxiety right now."

"I will soon be calm, even though I am experiencing anxiety right now."

"I will get through this."

"I will get through this."

"I am making myself as comfortable as possible while I wait for the anxiety to decrease."

"I am making myself as comfortable as possible while I wait for the anxiety to decrease."

"I can help myself to become gradually more calm and relaxed until this feeling passes."

"I can help myself to become gradually more calm and relaxed until this feeling passes."

"Very good. Keep breasting and telling yourself calming messages like this. If you're trembling then you can ease this by relaxing the muscles. If your hands are shaking then pick them up like this." Roy lifted his hands up, mirroring Dinah's movements. "Now shake them like you're trying to get water off them. Let your hands hang down loosely."Imagine the tension being shaken out of your hands. Keep breathing. Inhale and think I am becoming calmer and calmer."

Roy inhaled. "I am becoming more and calmer."

"Exhale and think: I am feeling more and more relaxed."

Roy exhaled. "I am feeling more and more relaxed."

"Inhale, Calm."

Roy inhaled. "Calm."

"Exhale, Relaxed."

Roy exhaled. "Relaxed."

"Good. Now focus on any tension in your jaw and upper back. Move your shoulders in circles and let them drop to put distance between them and your ears. Move your head from side to side or stretch your arms over your head."

"Ok."

"How do you feel?"

"Calm. That's how I'm supposed to feel, right?"

"Yes. You did well. The last thing we'll do tonight is self-talk."

"To stop panic attacks, right?"

"Yes. The key to self-talk is similar to the meditation since you need to remind yourself that you're safe. Use this script when using self-talk: My name is ... I am in: name where you are. Today is: name the day of the week or the date... I am safe right now because… For instance, my name is Dinah. I am in the Justice League Watchtower. Today is Sunday, December 1. I am safe right now because no one is trying to hurt me. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to try it?"

"Um….I guess. My name is Roy. I am in the Watchtower. Today is Sunday. I am sad right now because I'm not in Star."

Dinah smiled. "Good start, but next time try it with more conviction, ok?"

"Ok."

Dinah stood up and held out her hand. Roy took it after only a moment of hesitation. She pulled him to his feet with a smile. "That's the end of our time for today."

"Really? That was fast."

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"Um….yeah…."

"Next week we'll go through all of this again."

"We will?"

"Yes. We'll do it a few times in our session so you'll know what to do when you're on your own."

"Ok. Thank you, Dinah."

"You're welcome, Roy. Have a good week."

"You too."

Dinah walked him to the door and opened it, not surprised to find Batman standing outside. "Don't forget about our meeting later Batman." Batman inclined his head slightly in response. He gently ushered Roy away, without touching him, and they left.

"You have to meet with Dinah too?" Roy asked Batman.

"Yes," Batman replied stiffly. "It's part f the therapy."

"Oh, You're doing this for me?"

"Of course."

"Oh." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. When we get home I want you to suit up for patrol."

"Yes, Batman."

— —

"You know," Dinah said as Bruce walked into the room. "It amazes me that the World's Greatest Detective can be so stupid."

Bruce didn't look remotely surprised as he took his cowl off. "I take it Roy told you about what happened?"

"You mean how you yelled at a traumatized child? Not just a traumatized child though, a child who was traumatized by a physically and verbally abusive guardian."

"Not one of my best moments-"

"Oh really?"

"I didn't mean to make him so scared."

"I sincerely hope not, since that's the reason I managed to calm him down about it earlier."

"I never wanted to make him feel worthless. I was just mad at him-"

"And I've been telling you for the last three weeks how to handle Roy. How to talk to him. How to punish him without causing him to have a panic attack!"

"I wasn't thinking! It won't happen again!"

"It'd better not! This is hard enough without you making his symptoms even worse!" She never thought she'd see Batman looking ashamed, but she was wrong. The guilt that was evident on his face made her back down slightly. Only slightly though.

"I only had enough antidote for one of them."

"What?"

"I only had enough antidote to Scarecrow's fear toxin for one of them. I gave it took Dick first because that was my automatic reaction and he's younger. Roy's reaction though…. I've never seen a reaction that severe. We had to restrain him because he was trying to rip his clothes off and scratching us. It took far longer than normal for the antidote to work."

"Probably because of his PTSD. It's a panic disorder, so I'm sure the fear toxin effects were amplified by it."

"He put himself in that situation."

"He's 15. His brain his hard-wired to make bad decisions."

"I know."

"I know you care about Roy, if you weren't you wouldn't be here. You need to use your head though!"

"I know."

"I don't think you do!"

"What can I do to fix this?"

Dinah sighed. "Show Roy that you care about him. Hug him. Tell him you're happy he's around. He needs to know you care."

Emotions really weren't his strength, but Bruce knew she was right. "Ok."

"You should also try positive reinforcement. Reward him for behaviors we want to encourage. Calming himself down. Talking about something that's bothering him. Asking questions. Things like that."

"Positive reinforcement." He could do that. He had to. Roy's mental health was counting on him.

"I'd like to think Roy would hold this against you, but given how sweet of a kid he is, I don't think that'll happen."

As far as Bruce was concerned it could be added to the list of things Roy should hold against him. "I know."

"Just…please, don't do this again. Roy needs your support especially once I start getting into the hardest parts of his therapy. He needs you, so grow up and act like an adult."

"I won't do this again. I never want to make him feel like that again."

"Good. We made some good progress earlier tonight and he's starting to come around to the idea that this whole mess wasn't his fault."

"That's good."

"And I"d like to keep it that way. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes."

"Just remember, if you screw up like this again and jeopardize his therapy, I won't be the one you're hurting."

"I know." He scrutinized her for a moment. "You've very invested in this already."

"I'm good at my job." She seemed to consider something for a minute before nodding t the chairs. "Why don't we sit?" She sat down across from him and studied him for a moment. "I told Roy I didn't have to share specifics of his therapy with you. I only have to tell you if he's a threat to himself or others, however…I think this something you need to know because it's affecting his well-being."

"….Ok."

"Roy associates his self-worth with his performance as Arsenal. When he does well, he thinks highly of himself, but when he does poorly, like with Scarecrow, he tears himself down and believes he deserves to be treated poorly."

"…..That I probably should've guessed."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's not going to help anyone, especially Roy. I'm not saying it to make you feel worse, I'm saying it because you need to be aware."

"I'll remember that."

"I know you need him to do well on the streets because its life or death out there, believe me, I get it, but he needs consistency from you. From what I understand, you didn't even check to see if he was ok before yelling at him." Bruce didn't say anything. "Like I said, consistency."

"I'll do my best."

"I know you will." She might not have known a lot about Batman, but she knew his best was almost superhuman. If he could put the amount of effort he put into his vigilante activities into helping Roy, the teen would be fine.

— —

Batman was standing in Oliver Queen's mansion, looking around in confusion. He was standing in a hall, watching as Green Lantern, Superman, and Wonder Woman restrained Oliver. Glowing green chains were wrapped around the man's torso and Superman and Wonder Woman each had a hand on his shoulders to keep him kneeling in place. The usual hatred and anger the Dark Knight experienced when he saw Oliver filled him. He moved forward, his fat pulling back to punch him, but a pop of red in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Curious, he walked into the room on his right.

As soon as he walked in the first thing he saw was Flash knelling on the ground. The second thing was a pair of bare feet belonging to someone laying on the ground. Dread started pulling Batman's chest tight as he walked slowly forward. It only took a few steps before he could see the face of the person. "Roy," he breathed, falling to his knees. The teen's eyes were closed and he was perfectly still. His chest was bare, revealing bruises so thick they resembled camouflage covering his torso. Batman reached out with a shaking hand, hesitating at Roy's blood covered face. "Is he-"

"Dead," Flash confirmed with uncharacteristic bluntness.

"Dead…" The word choked Batman, barely making it past his lips. "No."

"Its a damn shame. Flash shook his head. "He was just a kid, you know. An innocent kid."

"How-"

"Beaten, by the look of it." Flash slowly got to his feet with a sigh. "I know we can't save everyone but….damn I wished we had saved him."

Batman stayed still for a minute, unable to bring himself to move. His chest was tight and a burning his eyes were starting to result in a film of liquid forming over his eyes. "Roy…" he whispered, voice weak and broken. Tremors made his hand quiver as he ran it through the teen's red hair. "I'm so sorry… I-" He choked on the rest of the sentence, unable to go on. Somehow finding the strength to move, he very slowly slipped his arms under Roy's body and lifted him up. As he stood up, he stumbled, shocked by how light the teenager was. His eyes gazed sadly strayed over the thin body for a moment before he pulled Roy even closer so his head was on Batman's shoulder. Holding him as gently, yet firmly as he could, Batman slowly walked back out into the hall.

The other members of the Justice League were still there with the retrained Oliver. Everyone immediately noticed that Batman's shoulders were drawn down and his head was bent over the teen in his arms.

"Batman…?" Superman asked tentatively, almost stepping forward when he didn't get an answer. Unfortunately, at that moment, Oliver started laughing. The Justice Leaguers all slowly turned to look at him. Even Batman lifted his head.

"Why're you so sad Bats?" Oliver asked with a smirk on his face. "You did as much to help him as I did."

Batman flinched, pulling Roy almost protectively against his body. "I-"

"That's how it went, wasn't it? No one really cared about him, not even you."

"No-"

"Really? You sure had a funny way of showing it."

"Shut him up!"

"You're just as responsible as I am Batman!"

"No…"

"HIs blood is on your hands!"

"No!" Bruce gasped, suddenly jerking awake. It only took a second for his brain to register that he'd been having a nightmare before he threw the blankets off and bolted from the bed. It took him exactly 5 seconds to reach Roy's bedroom from him. In his haste, he just barely remembered to open the door quietly, so as not to wake him. He turned the light on and a sigh of relief escaped him when he saw Roy. The teen was sleeping but showed one look how he curled up tightly under the blanket and muttered to himself. After hesitating for a moment, Bruce entered the room and turned the light on. "Roy…" he said quietly.

"N-no," Roy muttered, tossing and getting himself tangled in his blankets. "Please!"

"Roy, wake-up. It's ok." Slowly, he reached out to rub the distraught teen's arm.

"Please stop!"

"It's ok, Roy. It's-"

"Please, Bruce! Please stop!" Bruce froze. "Please, Bruce, please stop! I'm sorry!" Bruce froze, horrified. Oliver wasn't the monster in Roy's nightmares, he was. He had the sudden urge to leave the room. If Roy woke up and saw Bruce was in his bedroom, it would probably send the poor kid into a panic attack. Yet his feet didn't move. Someone had to wake Roy up, rather than let him suffer in the throes of his nightmare. Swallowing his self-loathing, Bruce reached out again and put his hand on Roy's arm.

"Roy, wake up. Wake up, its ok. Roy-" He was cut off by Roy's eyes popping open and the teen scrambling away from him not even half a second later. "It's ok, it's ok. You're ok."

Roy swallowed and pulled his legs to his chest and kept his arms wrapped around them. "I-I'm sorry…"

'Why does he always apologize for having nightmares?' Bruce wondered sadly. "It's ok-"

"I didn't mean to disturb you, really. I just- I can't control them and…."

"I know, I know. It's ok. I'm not mad I just…I came to make sure you were ok." And alive, but he didn't add that. It definitely would help.

"….Oh." Roy looked down at his knees. "Even though….even though I'm so worthless?"

"No, Roy, you're not worthless. I don't think that and I don't want you to think that you are."

"But then why_' Roy sucked in a breath and a look of panic flickered onto his face.

"Why what?" Roy didn't say anything at first. "It's ok Roy, I won't get mad at you for asking, I promise."

"Why did you say…?"

Bruce sighed a little bit. "You want to know why I called you stupid?"

"You….you kept saying I'm….that I'm smart and I can…I can do stuff, but…then…"

Then Bruce called him stupid and broke down all that self-esteem he'd built up. "….I said that because I was upset. You know that sometimes when people are upset they say things they don't mean, right?"

"Yeah, but Ollie….he always meant it…"

"I know. I didn't mean it though, Roy. It doesn't excuse what I did, but I really didn't mean it."

"…You didn't?"

"No, Roy, and I'm really sorry that I said it. I wish I had controlled my temper better."

Roy kept looking at the blankets. 'He keeps apologizing. Ollie…Ollie never apologized.' Slowly, he lifted his head to finally look at Bruce. "I'm sorry I went off without permission."

"We all make mistakes."

"I shouldn't make these mistakes as Arsenal."

"And you know that, which is what's important here. Sometimes, smart people can do stupid things. You made a bad decision, but that doesn't make you a bad person; or a stupid one."

Roy nodded a little bit. "I-I don't….I can't…not-not right away…."

"I know, but we can work on it, ok?"

"Ok. We-we can work on it."

"Good. Now, you should go back to sleep. It's late."

"Ok." Roy laid down and allowed Bruce to cover him back up. "Goodnight, Bruce."

"Goodnight, Roy. Sweet dreams."

Roy yawned and his head fell to the side as he fell asleep. "You too."


	50. Snow Day

A/N: Time for another update! Lots of fluff ahead. There are only a few chapters left, so enjoy.

The sound of Dick running down the Manor halls woke Roy up. He pulled his pillow over his head groggily, desperately hoping the excited kid would stay out of his room. Unfortunately, there was no such luck, since his door opened a minute later.

"Roy!" he shouted, running over and jumping onto the teen's bed. "It snowed!"

"So?" It had been getting a lot colder recently and the nearly every surface was covered in frost during patrol.

"There was a blizzard, they canceled school!" He grabbed Roy's hand and tried to pull him out of bed. "Come on!"

"Fine, fine." He allowed Dick to pull him towards the window, surprised the boy hadn't been able to simply drag him like he used to.

"Look!" They stopped in front of the window and Roy's eyes got so wide they almost popped out of his head.

"Whoa…" he breathed in amazement. The entirety of the grounds was covered in white. It was almost surreal to see the mountains of the white stuff. Dick looked at him when he didn't say anything after a couple of minutes.

"Roy? Are you ok?"

"It's so white…."

"It's snow." He said it like it was as obvious as the sky being blue.

"I grew up in the desert. I don't know what weather is, let alone snow."

"You've never seen snow before?" Dick's voice was more confused than amazed.

"Not like this. There was frost in Star in the winter and once in a while in the mountains in the reservation the ground would get a little crisp. I've never seen snow like this before though."

"You already got Roy up?" Bruce asked Dick as he walked in. He took a sip of his coffee. "It's a good day to stay inside and drink something warm."

Dick scoffed and rolled his eyes. "As if. Roy's never seen snow before, so I have to take him outside to show him how to have fun in the snow."

"Hmmm. A very important task."

Dick nodded seriously. He looked up at Roy, who was still staring outside. "You really think its that amazing?"

Roy nodded. "I didn't think it actually snowed like this in real life."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought it was only like this in movies."

"Just wait until we go outside a play in it! You'll love it!"

Roy grinned at him. "I hope so."

Bruce took another sip of his coffee as he watched them. "You two better go have breakfast."

"Come on Roy! Let's go eat so we can go outside!" The two of them went downstairs where Alfred was finishing up cooking breakfast. "Alfred, it snowed!"

"Is that what the white power outside is called?" Alfred asked as he placed pancakes on their plates. "I was under the impression someone had knocked over a gigantic bowl of four." Roy snorted. Dick stuck his tongue out at the redhead.

"Dick and I are going outside after breakfast," Roy told Alfred as he started digging into his pancakes.

"We're going to build a snowman, go sledding, have a snowball fight," Dick added. "It'll be awesome!"

"Be sure to dress warmly. I don't want to hear your complaining when you're toes fall off from frostbite."

Bruce heard that as he walked in and it made him smirk a little bit. "Guess it's a good thing we to you those boots and a jacket," he told Roy as he sat down. A few days ago the teen had been absolutely confused as to why he needed a winter coat and a pair of snow boots. It suddenly made a lot of sense to him now.

"Did you know it was going to snow?"

Bruce nodded. "They've been saying it's the first big storm of the winter. I figured Dick would be dragging you out into the snow if he didn't have school. I couldn't expect you to go out in that with your sneakers." It wasn't amazing enough that Roy had sneakers, but Bruce had given him another pair of shoes just for the snow. It shouldn't have surprise since Bruce had been keeping his promise to never deny him something he needed, but it still made his heart warm with gratitude.

"Are you coming outside with us?" Dick asked.

"I think I'll stay inside with my coffee and a good book."

"Lame."

"You have Roy to keep you company out there."

"Unless my company isn't enough for you," Roy teased.

"With that attitude, you'll get a snowball in the face."

"Like you could hit me."

"I hit Riddler's henchmen with bat-a-rangs just two days ago."

"I'm an archer. I have more accuracy than you could dream to have."

"We'll see about that."

The two boys quickly finished their breakfasts and managed to get their plates into the sink without breaking them. They ran upstairs and got dressed. Roy hesitated when he opened his closest, before deciding on a pair of sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. He gleefully pulled on his boots and jacket, zipping it up so that it partially covered his mouth. He ran back downstairs, just barely beating Dick to the back door. "Ready?" he asked excitedly.

"Just a moment," Alfred instructed. He handed each of them a hat that had flaps that hung down over their ears and puff balls on the top. Roy smiled. He'd seen pictures of hats like these but never needed one himself. They were also given a pair gloves each. They were all black and made of really soft fabric. Roy rubbed his hands together, smiling at how it felt when the gloves felt. "Enjoy the snow."

"Let's go!" Dick pulled the door open and the two of them ran out into the snow. Roy's first thought was of how not solid it was. As soon as he stepped into it, his foot sunk down into the white powder. He was surprised to hear a crunch as he stepped. He took a deep breath, momentarily taken aback by how cold the air was. There were still small flurries falling from the grey sky. He put his hand out and caught the flakes on his glove. His breath came out in a hazy cloud, which made him smile even more.

"What'd you think?" Dick asked, having to trudge faster to keep up with Roy.

"It's so cold and white."

"That's pretty standard."

"So, what're we doing first?"

"Hm…" Dick looked around and smiled suddenly. "Snow angels!" Without warning, he flopped back into the snow. He sunk down a couple of inches, which made Roy momentarily afraid he'd disappear. Dick starts moving his arms and legs back and forth, carving out vague wing and skirt shapes in the snow. "Come on Roy!" Not needed any further instructions, Roy dropped down next to him and was surprised by the coldness that suddenly attacked his body. It pricked at his ex[posed neck and the gap between his gloves and the sleeves of his jackets. He moved his arms and legs in the same way he'd seen Dick do. The snow was surprisingly easy to move and it packed in tightly. He didn't know when he was supposed to stop, so he just stopped when Dick did. The boy lifted his head to look at Roy. "Are you done?"

"Uh…I guess so."

"Let's look at them then." They got up, moving sideways to avoid running their creations. Roy wasn't sure what he was expecting, but all he had was a slightly uneven outline that vaguely resembled an angel. It was kind of underwhelming, but the fact that he'd created it himself gave him a slightly happy feeling in his chest. "Mine looks great!" Roy looked over at Dick's which looked just like his, only smaller. "What'd you think?"

"They look cool. I see why they're called snow angels."

"It is kind of obvious."

"What's next on the itinerary?"

"We're building a snowman!"

"Let's go then."

"We have to get some supplies first." Dick started walking towards the east edge of the estate, leaving Roy to follow. He trudged through the snow with Dick, still kind of amazed at how deep all the snow was. The blanket of white seemed to be muting all the noises. It was quieter on the Manor grounds than it was in downtown Gotham, but now there wasn't even the sound of birds. It was kind of eerie in a way, but he didn't mind it. The silence still gave him the feeling of safety. They stopped by a tree on the edge of the property. "Help me up!" It was a little difficult with their bulky jackets, but Roy crouched down and cupped his hands together. Moving without hesitation, Dick stepped up and jumped up as soon as Roy started to stand. He caught the lowest branch and hung from it on one arm with ease. He broke off a couple of long twigs from the tree. Roy picked them up once they fell and Dick swung himself down. He landed on a small hill, laughing as it cushioned his fall.

"Are we going to start building now?"

"Not yet." They trudged back to the Manor, Roy following Dick's footprints in the snow. He was starting to feel kind of bad for all the footprints they were leaving in the otherwise pristine snowscape. Once they were close to the manor Dick got on his knees and started to dig. Roy set the twigs down and helped him.

"What're we looking for?"

"Stones." They finally got through the foot of snow and found some stones. Dick grunted as he pulled the rocks up, struggling to pry them up because they were slightly frozen to the ground. Once they gathered enough Roy pushed snow back into the hole, trying to preserve the snow.

"Are we ready now?"

"We are! Let's get building!" They set their extra supplies down in a pile and Dick made a moderately sized snowball. He handed it to Roy, then made another one for himself. "Roll it on the ground like this." He crouched down and started pushing the ball across the snow. Roy followed suit, having to bend over, due to how small it was. "Make sure you pushed it from different side to get the nice round shape."

"Got it." They pushed their snowballs across the yard for what seemed like a long time. Roy didn't mind though. Pushing the ball was methodical in its own way. Plus this was something else he'd only ever seen in movies and never thought he'd get to experience for himself.

"How do we know when the balls are big enough?"

"Um…" Dick looked over at Roy's ball and scrutinized it for a second. "Yours looks pretty good. Put it right there." Roy pushed his ball over to the vague area that Dick had pointed to. "Make another snowball, but make it smaller than mine." Roy nodded and grabbed a handful of snow to shape into a ball. He started pushing this one on the ground as well while Dick lifted up his ball and placed it on top of Roy's. He watched Roy forming the last one, keeping an eye on its size. "That's good."

"What now?"

"Now put it up on top."

The snowball was surprisingly heavy, but it wasn't too straining for Roy. He set it on top of Dick's snowball, balancing it carefully and pushing it down a little bit. He must've pushed too hard because the ball disintegrated into chunks of snow. "Oh man…"

"That's ok," Dick assured him. "We can make another one." Making another only took a matter of minutes for Dick, who placed it on top of the middle ball gently. "You gotta be careful with snow. It's really unstable."

"I can see that."

"Pack some snow into the spaces between the balls."

"Will it help them stick together better?"

"Eh, kind of. It makes it look better too." Roy nodded as he took handfuls of snow and packed them into the crevices between the big snowballs. His fingers were starting to tingle with the cold, but he didn't care. Their snowman was starting to take shape. "Ok, I think that's good," Dick said, once he was satisfied they'd put enough snow in.

"What now?"

"Now we put the twigs in. They're the arms."

"Got it." Roy grabbed one of the twigs and, after taking a moment to line it up with Dick's, stuck it into the side of the middle snowball.

"Now put some stones on the face." Dick showed him by placing two stones on the top snowball. "Those are the eyes."

"Ok." Roy started carefully pressing the stones into it to form the smile. He moved with care; scared he was going to break it again if he pressed it too hard. Dick finished it off by putting the last stone in the place of the nose.

"Done!"

Roy smiled as he stepped back and admired their work. "It looks great." Dick joined him and tilted his head to the side as he studied it.

"Hm…..I think it needs a few adjustments." He went back to the snowman and grabbed a handful of fresh snow.

"Like what?" Roy asked in confusion as started to walk towards Dick.

"Stay there! I don't want you to see it yet!"

"Ok, fine." Roy stayed where he was while Dick worked. The younger boy was packing snow onto the top of the snowman. Roy leaned to the side, trying to see what he was doing.

"Don't look!"

"Fine!" Roy held up his hands in surrender and looked around the yard to keep himself occupied. The endless field of white reminded him of the desert. Except the desert wasn't cold and the dirt wasn't nearly this much fun to play in. Other than that thought it was like the Arizona desert.

"Done!" Roy looked back and burst out laughing. Dick had added bat ears to the top and turned the smile into a frown.

"Snow Bat!"

"The resemblance is uncanny."

"I thought so. You know what he needs though?"

"What?"

Dick smiled as he knelt down and made another snowball. "A Snow Robin and a Snow Arsenal." The two of them got to work building more snowmen. Just before noon, Bruce looked out a back window to check on them.

"They're still going at it," he told Alfred, taking another sip of coffee.

"It appears so. I shall make sure they have a good lunch."

"Something warm."

"Of course." Once lunch was ready Alfred went to the back door and called Dick and Roy inside. "Leave your snowy clothes by the door, young sirs."

"Alfred, did you see the snow family we built?!" Dick asked excited as they stripped off their wet coats. "There's a Snow Batman, a Snow Robin, a Snow Arsenal, and even a Snow Alfred! Roy did the Snow Robin."

"I did," Roy smiled with pride.

"Very good," Alfred said. "Lunch is in the dining room. You'll need the strength for your afternoon activities." The two of them ran for the dining room and barely managed to stop in time to eat. Lunch was tomato soup and grilled cheese.

"So after lunch," Dick said as they ate. "We'll go sledding and have a snowball fight!"

"Sledding where?" Roy asked. He dipped the corner of his grilled cheese in the soup.

"There's a hill on the south edge of the property that we can use. The sled I used last winter is in the garage somewhere."

"Ok."

"Hurry up so we can go!" They quickly shoveled the rest of their food into their mouths, downed their juice, and ran to the garage. Dick got up on Roy's shoulders, literally standing on them, so he could reach the sled. He climbed up onto the built-in shelf, scrunching up his nose against the dust. "Ugh, it's so dirty!"

"I didn't think there was a speck of dust anywhere in the Manor."

"Not even Alfred usually comes up here."

"I can see that." Dick found the sled buried under boxes and tossed it down to Roy. "Heads up!"

"Oof!" Roy caught it and stumbled back into one of Bruce's cars. "Really?"

"What?" Dick jumped down and took the sled from him. "Let's go!" They ran back through the Manor to the back door and quickly put their winter clothes on. The snow had filled in some their footprints from earlier while they were inside. They were still visible though. Like small holes chewed into the blanket. "Are you having fun?"

"Of course. When was the first time you went sledding?"

"When I was 5. Normally, the circus avoided snowy places, but one time, we were in Europe and we stopped in Norway for a few days. The train broke down and we couldn't perform. John was sick that weekend, so my parents took me sledding."

"Sounds like fun."

"My mom really liked it because she was from France and it snows a lot there. My dad wasn't used to the snow, but he liked it too."

"I don't know if Brave Bow ever went sledding before. I don't think he did."

"Do you think he would've liked it?"

"He would've liked the walking up the hill part."

"How come you never talk about your dad?"

"Brave Bow?"

"Not him, your real dad."

Roy frowned. "You mean my birth dad?"

"Yeah."

"I don't really know that much about him."

"Why?"

"He died when was really young. I was just a toddler. I don't remember that much and Brave Bow didn't really know him."

"Does it bother you? Like you don't know if he liked snow or archery or what he liked."

"I know he liked being outside."

"Why else?"

Roy shrugged. "Nothing I guess."

"Do you want to know?"

"I don't know. I mean….it'd be nice to know if he liked archery or if he liked hiking and camping. I've made my peace with not knowing though."

Dick looked away, but Roy could tell he was deep in thought about something. They reached the top of the hill and he shifted from pensive to joyful with ease. "This is easy! All we have to do is sit on the side and ride down the hill!"

Roy smirked. "Uh-huh. I can figure that out." The plastic sled was thrown into the snow, where it sat precariously on top of the fluff. Dick got on the sled, which caused it to sink into the snow a couple of inches and pat the plastic behind himself. Roy sat down behind him, crossing his legs like he saw Dick do. "We have too much off with our hands. Like this." He put his hands in the snow and started pushing the sled forward. Roy helped him using his own strength and vantage point in the back. The sled came slowly inched forward to the edge of the hill. Dick rocked the sled over the crest of the hill and the slid down. The only made it a few feet before the built-up snow stopped them. Roy leaned forward and looked at Dick curiously. "Are we having fun yet?"

"Shh!" Dick halfheartedly threw a small handful of snow in his face. "Let's push." They put their hands back in the snow and started pushing. The snow was surprisingly heavy and Roy had to push so hard he felt like he was doing all the work. At one point, about halfway down, the snow started to pile over into the sled as they plowed for it. They had to stop so Dick could kick and throw the snow out of the sled. It was really difficult and slow going, but they eventually made it to the bottom of the hill. "Now we go back up."

"Are we having fun yet?" Roy asked as he picked the sled up. He wasn't paying attention and the snow that was inside it suddenly came down on his head when he tipped it upside down. Dick snickered at him in response. They hiked back up to the top of the hill and placed the sled on the same track they'd created before.

"This time it'll work."

"I hope so." They got on the sled and pushed off again. This time the sled made it halfway down the hill at a marginally slow speed before they stopped. "Are we-" Dick threw a handful of snow into Roy's face before he could finish.

"Just start pushing." They once again plowed their way through the snow, trying to smooth out the path. They reached the bottom and, without a word, climbed back to the top. "This time it'll work."

"You keep saying that, and yet it still hasn't happened." Dick stuck his tongue out and they got on the sled.

"Third time's a charm."

Roy nodded and crossed his fingers for Dick's benefit. "Third time's a charm." They pushed off for the third time and actually made it to the bottom of the hill. With the snow packed in tightly on the path, making it a smooth ride down. There was some actual speed that surprised Roy and made him smile by the time they'd made it to the bottom. When they stopped by crashing into the small snowbank they'd created at the bottom of the hill Dick looked back at him.

"Did you have fun?"

"Hmmm….maybe." He laughed as Dick threw more snow at him. "Yeah, it was fun!"

"Yes!" Dick pumped his fist in the air in victory. He jumped out of the sled excitedly. "Let's go! Back to the top!" They spent the next several hours climbing up the hill and then sliding back down it. The ride down actually got faster every time they went down, due to the snow getting more tightly packed. It actually tired Roy out a little bit, due to the effort required to get through the snow. After going down the hill for the hundredth time, Dick fell back in the snow. Roy followed suit, letting out a tired gasp. The gasp took the form of a cloud, which made him giggle a little bit; although he wasn't too sure. "I think we should do something else."

"What did you have in mind?"

Dick sat up and smiled at him. "Snowball fight." They walked back towards the Manor with Roy carrying the sled. He left it by the back door and rejoined Dick. The boy was building some kind of hill of snow.

"What're you doing?"

"Building a fort to hide behind."

"Why?"

"That's what you do in a snowball fight." He waved his hands to shoo Roy away. "Go! Go build your own!"

"Ok, ok." Roy found a place several yards away to build his own "snow fort" and dropped down to his knees. His sweatpants were wet and making his legs kind of cold, but he didn't mind it. It was worth it to play in the snow with Dick. Not knowing what a snow fort should look like, so he simply started making a large hill. He picked the snow down on top of itself, trying to get it big enough so he could hide behind it. It took close to an hour, but his slightly lopsided hill looked decent enough. He moved behind it and started making snowballs. He piled them up so that he'd have enough for the coming fight. He was placing another one on top of the pile when a snowball came out of nowhere and hit him in the face. He looked over in Dick's direction. He couldn't see the boy, but he could hear his cackling. Thinking fast, he ducked down behind his hill to avoid the next one and threw one back. It missed by a long shot, going right over Dick and his fort like a shooting star. He scowled, then ducked down again, another snowball barely missing him. Roy popped up suddenly, catching Dick while he was sitting up behind the fort. He chucked his snowball with characteristic accuracy and hit Dick in the face.

Roy laughed as the snow exploded and Dick had to brush the snow off of his face. The laughing didn't last for long though because Dick returned fire with a vengeance. The next snowball hit Roy in the neck, causing some of the snow to go down his jacket. He shivered and gritted his teeth against the sudden cold attacking his body. The fight was an interesting one due to the boys' unique abilities. Roy had acute accuracy that was much better than Dick's, but Dick was really good at dodging stuff. roy didn't really understand how he could be so good at dodging bullets, one of the few useful skills Oliver had taught him, but he couldn't dodge a snowball. At one point they were going so rapidly that they weren't throwing snowballs as much as they were throwing handfuls of snow at each other. The fight continued through the late night until the sun started to go down. It was dark by the time Alfred came to the back door and called them inside for dinner. They came in with red, snow-covered faces and soaked clothes, but smiling brightly.

"Leave your clothes by the door," Alfred instructed them, trying to prevent them from tracking now everywhere in the Manor. Despite his misgivings though, he was happy to see Roy so excited, with his face red and his hair covered in snow. It occurred to Alfred that, for the first time, he really did look like a young teenager. "Hang your jackets up in the front hall. I'll take your hats and gloves."

"I won the snowball fight," Dick said proudly.

Roy rolled his eyes and nudged the boy. "I won the snowball fight."

"You did not."

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did-"

"Boys," Bruce said as he passed them on his way to the dining room, "stop arguing."

"Did not," Dick whispered. Roy stuck his tongue out at him and they ran to hang their coats up. Dinner was fish and warm vegetables, which was welcomed by the boys after a day out in the snow. They detailed every single thing they did for Bruce, who listened with quiet politeness while he drank his 20th cup of coffee. It wasn't the best thing to listen to for half an hour, but seeing Roy so excited about what he'd done made him happy.

After dinner, Dick grabbed a chess board and the two of them settled down in front of the fireplace in the den. Bruce sat in an armchair with a book, also enjoying the warmth of the fire. A couple of hours later Alfred brought them hot cocoa and cookies, which Roy and Dick took with wide smiles as thanks. Alfred simply smiled in return. The snow and picked up again outside, but the inhabitants of the Manor were undisturbed. It was too bad to go patrolling, but no one really minded. They were all happy to stay inside where it was warm and bright.


	51. Tis the Season

A/N: Time for the third out of place holiday chapter! Full disclosure: this chapter is basically fluff. Also, the translation for Roy's singing came from a YouTube video I found. Enjoy!

Just when Roy thought he'd seen the extent of Dick's excitement it was Christmas time. As soon as the tree was up in the den Dick was singing at the top of his lungs and slightly off-key for hours.

"Deck the halls with bags of holly!" Dick sang happily as he hung another ornament. "La la la la la la la la! Tis the season to be jolly-"

"Does he ever stop?" Roy muttered to himself as he grabbed another ornament from a box. Alfred overheard him and smiled.

"Unfortunately, no," he whispered to him. "All you can do is humor him."

"He just keeps singing the same two verses over and over again."

Bruce resisted the urge to smirk from where he was sitting in an armchair, watching the boys decorate the tree. "Dick and I have an agreement that he can sing all he wants while we decorate the tree if he doesn't sing on patrol," he explained to Roy's bewildered face.

"You sing on patrol?!"

"I love Christmas!" Dick beamed. "It's the best holiday in the world!" Roy threw a strand of garland at him. "Bruce, why aren't you helping us decorate?"

"I'm supervising," Bruce explained innocently.

"Please, Bruce? Please?"

"You have Roy helping-"

"Roy wants you to help too. Right, Roy?"

Roy was very acutely aware that everyone in the room was staring at him. Even Alfred. He swallowed. "Um…yeah…. It'd be….nice if you helped us."

"You heard him. Come on Bruce."

Bruce sighed and got up, knowing that if he didn't Dick would only pester him more. "Fine." He ignored Dick's cheers as he grabbed a shiny glass ball. Roy's back was turned to him, but he didn't look upset or scared about what was happening. Even when Bruce was right next to him, he remained calm and even cheerful as he hung the ornaments.

"Roy, you have to sing with me!"

"Why?" Roy asked.

"I said so."

"Who made you the boss?"

"Bruce, tell Roy he has to sing with me."

"I don't think he wants to," Bruce replied evasively.

"Come on Roy. You know Christmas songs, right?"

"Of course I do," Roy said in his own defense.

"Then sing one. Come on!"

Roy sighed as he started to hang another ornament. His hand hesitated for a moment as he let the metal hook rest on the green branch. No one was looking directly at him, besides Dick, but he could feel them waiting for him to do something. His heart started pounding as he tried to push away unwanted memories. The silence lingered for so long that everyone went on with their decorating. Dick didn't sing anymore, making Roy feel kind of bad for diminishing his holiday cheer. He took a deep breath as he grabbed another ornament from a box. He started singing quietly.

"Yas biyi' góne'

Nihił naaná'oobas

Deiyílk'id bitįs

Dloh nihił háá'á." Dick stopped what he was doing and tried to listen closely. He recognized the tune of "Jingle Bells", but he didn't recognize the words. Bruce didn't know them ether, but they sounded like Navajo.

"Yoó bikéé' diits'a'

Nihił dahózho." Dick smiled as he listened. The room seemed to get quieter so they could all hear him better.

"Díí tł'éé' łíií' bee

Nihił naaná'oobasgo dahwiitaał

Yoo' dits'a', yoo' dits'a'." His voice picked up in volume and cheerfulness as he sang the chorus.

"Ayóígo diits'a'

Dooládó' yas biyi'." Dick bobbed his head along to Roy's singing as he hung the ornaments.

"Nihił hózhóogo naaná'oobas

Yoo diits'a', yoo diits'a'

Ayóogo diits'a'

Doolándó' yas biyi'

Nihił hózhóogo naaná'oobas." He finished the song and Dick started clapping.

"That was really cool!"

"Thanks…." Roy looked kind of uncomfortable with the praise.

"You should've sung it louder."

"Why?"

"So we could hear it better."

Bruce frowned as he watched Roy silently hang another ornament on the tree. "Roy," he said cautiously, "did Oliver tell you not to use Navajo?"

"Not really. In a way. He-he didn't care that I could speak Navajo. One time I was using it and he slapped me in the mouth."

"Why?" Dick asked in confusion.

Roy shrugged. "He was frustrated he couldn't understand me."

"You can talk in Navajo all you want here! I use Romani sometimes and Bruce doesn't mind at all. Watch." As if his point couldn't be illustrated any other way, Dick started singing "Deck the Halls" in Romani. It amazed Roy that he only knew two verses in English, but apparently knew the whole song in his native language. Once he finished he looked at Roy expectantly. Roy sighed and started singing "White Christmas" in Navajo. The two of them went back and forth the entire time they decorated the tree, singing Christmas carols; just not in English.

In Bruce's opinion, it was actually better this way. He was used to Dick using Romani, but the boy had never done it like this. Singing songs the way he probably would've with his family. He knew the boy's love of Christmas came from his family's love of it. Only two years after their deaths, Bruce couldn't help but love that Dick still had the same enthusiasm for the holiday he did before that night. Roy, on the other hand, …while he didn't know if this holiday was really important for him, he could tell being raised on the reservation was. The idea that Oliver had slapped him for using the language he'd been taught and used in his childhood saddened Bruce. Listening to Roy sing though, even if it wasn't the most in-tune, it gave him hope that Oliver's influence wasn't permanent.

Bruce wasn't an optimistic man, but he couldn't help but feel like this Christmas was going to be a good one.

— —

"Alfred," Roy started cautiously, watching as the man-made Christmas candy. Bruce and Dick were at a gala, much to Dick's displeasure, so Roy had ventured to the kitchen to watch Alfred melt candies and pour them into lollipop molds.

"I assume there's more to your question," Alfred said with a smile when Roy didn't finish.

"Do you like Christmas?"

"I do. I enjoy the movies and lights. Gotham winters can be brutal, but they do remind me of winters in England. Downtown is actually very beautiful when lit up with lights. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I was just curious. Sorry for asking."

"You never have to be sorry for asking a simple question, sir. Do you enjoy the holiday season?"

"Sure. I mean…We didn't have snow in Arizona and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a Christmas tree when you live in the desert, but we always had a good time. Brave Bow would help me learn Navajo with Christmas songs. I don't know how he managed it, but every year he gave me a diffident edition or copy of Robin Hood books."

"He knew it was your favorite?"

"I never stopped talking about it. Apparently, when I was little it was the story I asked for the most."

"Parents have a way of remembering those things."

"I'm also kind of excited to have a white Christmas."

"I'm glad." Alfred pulled out a plastic tray from the fridge, switching it out with the new one. He held the tray out to Roy. "Candy sir?"

Roy smiled and grabbed one. It was a Santa carrying a sack. "Thanks." He took a bite of the chocolate. "Mmmmm. It's delicious Alfred!"

"I'm glad you like it, sir." He turned around to set the tray on the counter. "Oh, I have an early present for you, Master Roy."

"You do?" Roy stopped eating his lollipop. "Really?"

"Indeed. Wait here." Alfred left the kitchen briefly, leaving Roy alone to wonder and speculate. He didn't have to wait long though because Alfred returned within a couple of minutes. He was carrying something folded up in his hands. It was white and fluffy from what Roy could see. "Here you are sir."

"Thank you." Roy accepted it awkwardly, still holding his half-eaten lollipop in one hand. He discovered whatever it was rolled up, so all he had to do was give it a strong flick and it came undone. It was a stocking. A red stocking with his name stitched into the white top. "This is for me?"

"It is. It wouldn't be Christmas if you didn't have one."

"…I haven't had one in two years."

"You didn't?"

"No. Oliver wouldn't let me have candy, so you know, stockings weren't necessary."

"Even on Christmas?"

Roy nodded. "Even on Christmas." He could tell how much Alfred disapproved of that just by looking at him. "Can I put it on the fireplace mantel, next to your guys'?"

"We can do it right now if you'd like." Instead of answering, Roy jumped out of his seat and lead Alfred to the den. While pretty much the whole Manor was decorated for Christmas, this room held the tree and three stockings hanging on the fireplace. Each of the Manor's inhabitants had a name on a stocking. As soon as he walked in Roy saw the fancy, empty hook. He ran over and slipped the loop of his stocking on it. It needs a small adjustment so his name could be clearly read on the front. He looked back at Alfred, beaming.

"What'd you think?"

Alfred smiled and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I think it looks perfect."

— —

Christmas morning Roy was, very surprisingly, the first one up. Not out of excitement or anything like that, he was awoken by yet another nightmare. They still happened nearly every night, but usually, after sitting up for a couple of hours he could get back to sleep. It was just before dawn when he woke up though, so he decided to just get up. As soon as he was standing he remembered it was Christmas. Silently, he crept from his room and downstairs to the den. Nearly as soon as he walked in, he nearly smiled. There were a ton of presents under the tree. It was different from the few presents he'd always found under the tree growing up, or even the many presents he'd gotten from Oliver on Christmas.

'They're probably not for me though,' he thought miserably. 'Most of them are probably for Dick.' Maybe if he was lucky one or two might be for him, and they'd probably be from Dick and Alfred. He couldn't really imagine Bruce giving him anything. Sure, Bruce was nice enough to let Roy live in the Manor, but that didn't mean he liked the teen enough to give him Christmas presents. The presents on his birthday had been his Arsenal gear, so that made sense. He had all his gear now though, so he probably wouldn't get anything. Still, though, it looked liked someone had put candy in his stocking. That at least would be completely worth it for him. Not knowing what else to do, Roy sat down on the floor and stared at the tree.

It was only two and a half hours later that Dick came running into the room. He let out a loud gasp and hugged Roy from behind. "Look, Roy!"

"I see them, Dick," Roy laughed as Dick apparently tried to climb onto his shoulders.

"How long have you been up?"

"For a while."

"Why didn't you wake me up?!"

"….uh….I just didn't I guess…"

"You can't just keep all the presents for yourself! You have to share!" When Roy didn't say anything, Dick dropped off his shoulders and sat next to him. He studied Roy cautiously. He didn't want to say something that would upset the teen on Christmas. Unfortunately, Dick was naturally curious, and there was a question he'd been wanting to ask Roy for the past few days. "What was Christmas like with Oliver?"

Roy frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"I was just curious. If-If you don't want to talk about it I understand though." For a second, Dick thought Roy wasn't going to answer. Then when he started talking his voice was kind of quiet.

"I'd wake up and sit by the tree. When Ollie got up I'd open my presents. Usually, on Christmas he was in a good mood, so he'd let me have something special for breakfast and drink milk or juice. We'd eat a special dinner and it was always…. Christmas was one of the best days."

"So….he never hurt you on Christmas?"

"He never hit me."

Dick nodded, suddenly very relieved. "Christmas was my family's favorite holiday."

"Really?"

"Yeah! We lived in a circus trailer, so there wasn't a big tree or anything. Usually, the circus would stay put the week of Christmas, so we'd put one up on the grounds and everyone would help decorate it."

"That sounds like fun."

"It was! We were all from different places and had different decorations and traditions, so it was like a….a…." he struggled to find the right word. "Like a collage of Christmas stuff! John always assured me that Santa could find us, no matter where we were in the world."

"That's good."

"We you worried that Santa wouldn't be able to find you when you moved to Star?" Roy blinked. He'd stopped believing in Santa after Oliver had, very plainly, told him there was no such thing (adding a "don't be an idiot" for good measure) his first Christmas in Star. Dick was watching him though, so he nodded quickly.

"Mhm."

"Good thing he knew where you were."

"Yeah, it is."

Dick looked at the clock on the wall. "Come on, time to go wake up Bruce."

"I don't think we should-"

"I do it every year! Come on!" Dick grabbed Roy's hand and dragged him out of the room.

"What about Alfred?"

"He's already awake. He's probably just hiding from us."

"Maybe you should just go alone."

Dick stopped and looked at Roy. "Roy, I wake Bruce up every year. It's ok."

"I just don't want to…."

"Why?"

Roy shied back as Dick let go of his hand. "I wasn't allowed in Ollie's room. God forbid I ever wake him up when he was sleeping." Just the thought of doing that made him shiver.

"Ok. Why don't you go back to the den? Bruce and I will be there soon."

"Sounds good." Roy went back downstairs, trying not to feel like he'd let Dick down. He walked back into the den and found Alfred was there. 'Does he just teleport?'

"Good morning, Master Roy," Alfred smiled. "Happy Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Alfred."

"Enjoying your first white Christmas?"

Roy looked out the window and smiled when he saw the white snow piled outside the window. "I am."

"Good." Dick came running in, jumping onto Roy's back. He wrapped his legs around the teen's torso and his arms around his shoulders.

"Morning Alfred," he smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Master Dick. Did you wake up Master Bruce?"

"I did! He's coming." As if on cue, Bruce came in. He didn't seem at all irritated that Dick had woken him up so early. "Look, Bruce, Santa came!"

"I see that." Alfred handed Bruce his coffee, to which Bruce gave him a look of gratitude.

"Good morning, boys," he said after taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Morning," Roy said.

"Can we open the presents now?!" Dick asked. "Can we?!"

"Too loud!"

"Yes, Dick, go ahead," Bruce told him as he and Alfred sat down.

"Woo!" Dick whooped as he dropped down from Roy's shoulders. He picked up a present and set it aside. "That one's mine." Roy sat down as he picked up another one. "This one's for you, Roy."

"Me?" Roy asked in confusion. He took the wrapped box from Dick carefully.

"Yup!" Sure enough, when he turned the box over Roy saw his name on the tag. He started unwrapping it slowly as if he was expecting to get in trouble for doing so. The box inside contained something that he recognized almost instantly.

"A blanket!" he gasped. He pulled out the red, white, and black blanket that contained repeating, diamond patterns on its surface.

"You're excited about a blanket?"

"It's a Navajo blanket."

"It's authentic," Bruce assured him.

"It's great. I haven't had one since I left the reservation."

"What's so special about Navajo blankets?" Dick asked, looking at it curiously.

"They're important in Navajo mythology and history. Authentic ones are made on a loom on the reservation." He ran his hand over it, suddenly overcome with memories he hadn't thought about in two years. The blanket was then carefully folded and put back in its box until he could take it upstairs. They continued opening presents and Roy was mildly surprised every time Dick handed him one. The other presents were clothes, a new pair of shoes, and books about engineering. HIs present from Dick left him momentarily confused. "A scrapbook?"

"Look inside."

Roy opened it up and found a picture of himself. Well, …it kind of looked like him. The man has his red hair and green eyes, but certain facial features altered or narrower. "Is this….Is this my father?"

"Yup!" The next page had a copy of a report card. The same on the top was Roy Harper. The next one had pictures of the same man shooting a bow.

"He liked archery?"

"Apparently yeah. He competed in a bunch of competitions when he was your age."

"Dick where did you find this stuff?" Roy asked as he turned to another page.

"I'm just amazing." Bruce cleared his throat. "Bruce too. He helped me get all this stuff, but digging it all up and putting the scrapbook together was my idea." Roy honestly couldn't believe it. His father, the ghost of his childhood, had a life. Grades. Accomplishments. Hobbies. Pictures. He was real. "Do you like it?"

Roy nodded as he closed the scrapbook. "I do. I really do. Thank, Dick." He gave the boy a hug, which pretty much made Dick week.

"You're welcome!" The two of them embraced for a moment before returning to their presents. One of Roy's presents was also from Alfred. Roy opened it, wondering what Alfred could've possibly gotten him. A small gasp escaped his lips. It was a book with a green cover and gold designs on it, framing the picture of a man in green shooting a bow. He traced his fingers of the large letters, spelling out the book's title.

"The Adventures of Robin Hood."

"I'm aware that you don't have any editions here sir," Alfred explained, "but I thought you'd like to start another collection."

"It's wonderful! I love it, thank you!"

Bruce was definitely not at all jealous that Alfred had gotten Roy a thoughtful and meaningful gift. Dick unwrapped a set of Superman pajamas. Bruce's jealousy quickly morphed into irritation. He gave the butler a look, but Alfred simply sipped his tea in response. The former's attention was so focused on trying, unsuccessfully, to make his butler feel his irritation, that he missed what present Dick was passing to Roy.

"This one's yours too," he said as he awkward hated off the long box. The tag on the front said it was from Bruce. Roy frowned as he started unwrapping it. Memories buried deep in his mind poked at his brain, specifically details of the box his 10th birthday present had been wrapped in. As difficult as it was, he couldn't help but feel his hopes creeping up. The box was easy to open and the air was sucked from his lungs when he saw what was inside. Sitting in the bottom of the box was a red longbow. The paint was new and shiny as he carefully picked it up. It some weight to it, but to a seasoned archer it was nothing. He lifted the bow from the box slowly, as if it would disintegrate. He ran his finger tips along the curve of the wood, then down to the string. It was an exact replica of the bow Brave Bow had given him. The very fact kept him frozen in his place. Dick frowned when he eventually noticed it. "Roy? Is everything ok?" Roy didn't say anything. He wasn't moving either, except for the slight shaking in his body. "Roy, are you ok?"

Bruce actually started to get worried when he heard quiet weeping from the teen. "Roy?" he asked uncertainly. "Is everything ok?" Roy nodded, still crying. Bruce knelt down, slowly reaching for the bow. "If you don't like it, I can just-"

"No!" Roy said quickly. He looked up and his hands tightened around the bow. His eyes were watery and his voice was tight. "I-"

"Roy, if you don't like it I understand."

"It just…" He started crying again and Dick quickly moved to his side.

Bruce swallowed. "I had it made because I wanted you to have a bow that you could use since the one your adopted father gave you is beyond repair. If it offends you then you don't have to keep it though." Roy shook his head.

"I'm not…offended. I l-love it."

"You do?"

Roy nodded. He wiped his eyes quickly. "I haven't gotten a present like this in years. Not since Brave Bow died."

"So you're…..not offended, or sad? You're actually happy?"

"I am." Roy sniffed and wiped his eyes, cheeks reddening a little bit at his sudden outburst of emotion. "I love it, Bruce. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." Bruce returned to his seat and took a deep drink of his coffee. Roy's attention was so rapt on his bow that he didn't notice Dick grabbing two more presents and handing them to Bruce and Alfred respectively. His attention was only pulled away by Dick suddenly sitting next to him and leaning so his back was against Roy's side. Upon looking up, Roy saw Bruce and Alfred opening their presents and a pit opened in his stomach.

"Thank you, Master Dick," Alfred said, placing the wrapping to the side so he could rest the clay teacup in his lap. "It's quite…unique."

"Definitely unique," Bruce agreed, smoothing out the tie with various Justice League members' insignias on them. "Thank you, Dick."

"You're welcome," Dick beamed, clearly proud of his gift giving skills. Roy shifted uncomfortably, which didn't go unnoticed since by Dick since he was leaning on him. "Everything ok, Roy?" Roy mumbled something under his breath. Unable to hear, Dick sat up and looked at him. "What'd you say?"

"I didn't give any of guys anything," Roy said quietly, yet loudly enough that everyone could hear him. The guilt was evident in his voice. "I don't have anything to give you." The second part was almost apologetic in tone.

"It's ok," Dick assured him. "We're just happy you're here."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't beat yourself up, Master Roy," Alfred said.

"I should've given you something, after all, you guys have done for me."

"You don't owe us, Roy," Bruce took him, his voice firm in his conviction. "You don't owe us anything."

"If you could've given us presents, we know you would've," Dick assured him. "It's ok."

Bruce could tell that it didn't reassure Roy, so he changed the subject. "You two need to clean up this mess and put your gifts upstairs so we can have breakfast."

"Ok, Bruce."

"Yes, Bruce," Roy said, gathering up his presents. He and Dick quickly ran their presents upstairs to their bedrooms. They then started cleaning up the wrappers and boxes that littered the floor of the den. Dick zipped around like a speedster, eager to get to Christmas breakfast. Roy smiled slyly and stuck out his foot, tripping the kid. Dick fell on the ground, dropping all the wrapping paper he'd been holding. He heard Roy laughing and made a face. Then he noticed his feet were near the teen, so he entangled their ankles and tripped him.

"Watch your step."

Roy rolled his eyes at Dick's quip. "You're a child."

"You're the one who tripped me first!"

"You're the one who said a stupid one-liner."

Dick got up to make Roy take it back, but Bruce suddenly appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat. "Doesn't look like cleaning to me," he said.

"Roy tripped me!" Dick defended.

"He said something stupid," Roy said.

Bruce shook his head. "Get it cleaned up and get dressed." The two boys quickly returned to their task. Within minutes the den floor was clean and Dick snagged Roy's wrist before he could leave.

"We have to go get dressed."

"Don't forget your stocking!" Dick unhooked Roy's and handed it to him. Roy took it happily, then went upstairs to his bedroom. Before getting dressed he dumped out the candy. The bright packages and plastic wrapped chocolate lollipops made his heart race. He unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth while he got dressed. After a pair of jeans and a t-shirt had been pulled on, he went downstairs to the dining room. Somehow, he'd managed to beat Dick, which gave him first pick of the waffles. Surprise rushed through his brain when Alfred proceed to put powdered sugar, whip cream,and chocolate chips on in his waffles; in that order. Bruce hid his amused smile behind his coffee mug. It was kind of sad that Roy was still always surprised about receiving sweets, but his reactions were so childlike, despite being 15, it was kind of amusing to him. Luckily, Roy needed no prodding or encouragement to start digging into his breakfast. Bruce noticed how Roy's feet tapped joyfully off the ground and he ate with apparent excitement. Again, the childlike glee these moments brought Roy amused him. Dick joined them and both boys were silent as they enjoyed their Christmas breakfast. "Are we watching movies again this year?" Dick asked Bruce when he was almost finished.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Bruce told him sternly. His attitude softened though at the boy's expectant face. "Yes, we'll watch Christmas movies again this year."

"Yes!" He looked across the table at Roy. "What's your favorite Christmas movie?"

"My favorite?"

"Yeah!"

Roy thought about it carefully. "The Polar Express," he said, naming the only Christmas movie he could name off the top of his head.

"That's a good one. I like Rudolph and Santa's Coming to Town."

"Cool."

"Bruce's favorite is Miracle on 34th Street."

"I haven't seen that one ether."

"It's ok. Bruce likes the old version though."

"Its the original from 1943," Bruce explained to Roy. "It's the best one."

"It's not even in color. That's how old it is. Its older than color tv!"

"Just because it's in black and white doesn't mean it's not good."

"If you're all finished sirs, I would suggest you get to your movies," Alfred advised them. He gave each of them a stern look. "I have a Christmas dinner to prepare and I won't have any of you getting in my way. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Alfred," the three of them chorused. The boys quickly put their dishes in the sink and raced to the Manor's theater while Bruce collected the movies they'd be watching. roy sat down first and Dick sat one seat away from him. Bruce sat between the two of them when he finally joined them. It didn't make Roy as nervous as he'd thought it would. He sat back in his seat with his legs pulled to his chest, not in a panicked way, just in a normal way, and they watched the movies. They watched Dick's favorites first and Roy wasn't surprised when the boy sang along with every song. Neither he or Bruce stopped Dick though, instead of letting him sing as loudly and happily as he wanted.

"Are we patrolling tonight?" Roy asked in-between the second and third movies.

"No," Bruce told him. "We won't go out unless there's some kind of an emergency."

"Not even Commissioner Gordon works on Christmas," Dick said. "and I'm pretty sure he lives at the police station."

Roy smiled. He was kind of ok with not patrolling that night. He and Oliver had never patrolled on Christmas, but that had mostly been because Oliver was usually too drunk to go out by the time it was nighttime. He settled into his seat and tried not to think about his last two Christmases. He didn't want them to spoil his mood for this one. By the time they got to the Polar Express, Roy was excited. He'd watched it quite a few times just the previous year and it was just as fun as he remembered. Dick seemed to enjoy it too, despite not knowing the some of the songs. He'd been so engrossed in watching the movie that he hadn't noticed Roy was singing.

"I'm wishing on a star

And trying to believe

That even though it's far

He'll find me, Christmas Eve

I guess that Santa's busy

Cause he's never come around

I think of him

When Christmas Comes to Town," he sang quietly.

"The best time of the year

When everyone comes home

With all this Christmas cheer

It's hard to be alone

Putting up the Christmas tree

With friends who come around

It's so much fun

When Christmas Comes to Town," Dick smiled as he sang the other part.

"Presents for the children

Wrapped in red and green."

"All the things I've heard about

But never really seen."

"No one will be sleeping on

The night of Christmas Eve

Hoping Santa's on his way

When Santa's sleigh bells ring-"

"I listen all around."

"The herald angels sing."

"I never hear a sound."

"When all the dreams of children

Once lost will all be found

That's all I want

When Christmas Comes to Town."

"That's all I want

When Christmas Comes to Town."

They watched the movie in comfortable silence after that; occasionally broken by the two of them laughing. It was cozy and secure in the theater, at least to Roy. It'd been a while since he'd had a Christmas this content and warm. The three of them watched movies until it was time for dinner. As soon as Alfred announced it was time to eat, Roy and Dick jumped out of their seats and raced back to the dining room. The holiday feast laid out before them was enough to make Roy's eyes wide. Even with Oliver, he'd never had a meal like this. Bruce and Alfred joined them, everyone sitting in the same seats they had at Thanksgiving. Once again, Bruce being in such close proximity was not as alarming to Roy as it used to be. He was still relaxed and happy as he had been all day while they ate. After dinner Roy and Dick helped Alfred with the dishes. Roy washed, while Dick dried them and put them away.

"Why do you get the easy job?" Roy asked.

Dick shrugged as he dried a cup. "I'm just that awesome." He laughed as he dodged a handful of bubbles that was thrown his way.

"Do I have to remind you two that cleaning means not making a bigger mess?" Alfred asked them.

"No," the boys answered in unison. They finished their task without making a bigger mess. Roy changed back into his pajamas, grabbed his Navajo blanket and his Robin Hood book. Back down in the den, he sat in a chair and pulled the blanket around his shoulders and curled up with his book. The wool blankets were a lot more functional in Gotham in the timer than it had been in Arizona. Dick was sitting the couch, leaning against Bruce easily while he looked through the large, colorful book Brice had given him that was about the history of the circus or something. Bruce was reading a newspaper, seemingly unbothered by the boy leaning against him. They sat in companionable silence. After a couple of hours, Alfred brought them hot chocolate and Christmas cookies that had festive frosting and sprinkles.

"Thanks, Alfred," Roy said as he accepted his. He dunked his cookie in his hot chlorate without a second thought as he watched Dick, and more surprisingly Bruce, accepted their holiday treats as well. Roy happened to glance at the window and saw the flurries falling lazily from the dark sky. Roy smiled as he snuggled deeper into his blanket and read his book. It was by chance that while Bruce was reaching for his hot chocolate that he happened to see Roy. The teen was curled up reading, but the smile on his face made Bruce freeze for a moment. He wasn't a sentimental man, but the ease and sincerity of Roy's smile made him want to freeze this moment in time. He went back to his paper before Roy could notice him staring. After a couple of hours he felt Dick's body go lax and his head tipped back. Bruce smiled as he leaned over and confirmed that the boy was asleep.

"I think it's time for bed," he told Roy, who also looked like he was having trouble staying awake. Roy nodded and yawned. Bruce scooped Dick up into his arms and carried him upstairs with Roy following close behind. First, he put Dick in his bed, covering him up and kissing his head gently. Then he went to Roy's room and found him laying down. He saw the wooden bow he'd given the teen was on the rack in place of the compound. "Looks like you need a new rack."

"Yeah, I guess I do." Without thinking, Bruce pulled the blankets over Roy, but for his part, Roy seemed ok with it. "Sleep well."

"Thanks, Bruce. Merry Christmas."

Bruce smiled and rubbed his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Roy."


	52. New Year Adventures

Much to Dick's dismay, the Christmas season had to come to an end. Thankfully, he was still on vacation from school, so he could spend time with Roy. Unfortunately, Roy had decided to spend a lot of time practicing his archery. They still did other things together, like sparring and video games, but when he had the time, Roy very clearly preferred to spend it in the archery range near the bat cave. On New Year's Eve, Dick sat on the ground watching him shoot for several hours. At the moment he was finishing up making a 'D' in the target with his arrows. "You're so good," Dick marveled.

"Thanks."

"Will you teach me to shoot like you?!"

"Teach you?"

"Yeah!" Dick got to his feet. "You did say you'd teach me archery someday."

"I did?"

"Twice."

"Well…"

"Please Roy?"

Roy glanced away. "I've never taught anyone else before Dick."

"So? You're a master archer, you can teach me."

"Master archer? Me?"

"That's what Bruce tells Alfred." Roy was momentarily stunned by the pride that swelled in his chest. "Please, Roy?"

"Fine."

"Yes!"

"Whoa." Roy stepped back and held his longbow out of reach. "What're you doing?"

"Did you expect me to shoot without a bow?"

"Not this bow."

"Why not?"

"You won't be able to draw it."

"I will too!"

"Archery takes a lot of upper body strength, especially to use a longbow."

Dick crossed his arms stubbornly. "Acrobatics requires a lot of upper body strength too. Besides, you were my age when you started using a longbow, right?"

"Younger actually, but that's different."

"How?"

"I spent years practicing and building up my strength."

"Just let me try Roy!"

Roy sighed. "Alright." He handed the bow to Dick and took his guard off. He secured it as best he could to Dick's forearm on the off chance the boy managed to draw the bowstring back at all. However, due to Dick's arms being thinner and not as muscular as Roy's, so not even the velcro could keep it secure. He took an arrow from his quiver and handed it to Dick. "Go ahead." Dick, not knowing how to nock the arrow properly, simply wrapped all of his fingers around the end and then the bowstring. Roy snickered a little bit at how the boy struggled to pull the string. He managed to move it an inch before it snapped back. Dick jumped as it slapped against his barely protected forearm. The arrow was sent skittering across the ground about a foot away. Dick's cheeks burned a little at how horrible that had just been. "I told you so."

"How come you can do it so well? You make it look easy."

"I've been doing this for years, Dick." He put his hand on the boys' back. "Let's go get you a bow that's easier to draw." As he took his bow back he glanced at the arm guard. "And some duct tape." They went up to Roy's bedroom where he grabbed his compound bow off his new rack and a roll of duct tape from the kitchen. Dick followed him back downstairs and Roy grabbed his gloves from his Arsenal suit and the quiver. He handed a couple of the items to Dick so he could fill the quiver with regular arrows. "Let's go."

"Do we really need all this?"

"Unless you think you can shoot without a quiver." They went back to the range and Roy knelt down. He undid the velcro straps and simply pressed the arm guard to Dick's forearm. He then duct taped it to the boy's arm to keep it in place. "Since your arm is so skinny this will have to do."

"Do I really need to wear this?"

"Yes," Roy said as he sat on the ground. He started re-stringing the bow to lessen the draw weight. "Here, try this." Dick took the bow and pulled the string back halfway. "Is that as much as you can pull it?"

"Yeah…" Dick eased it back and handed Roy the bow. It took several more minutes of adjusting the bowstring before Dick was able to draw it back all the way. Roy nodded in satisfaction. He slipped his gloves on and put the quiver on Dick's back. Or at least….he tried. The quiver was easily half Dick's size, with the arrows sticking up too far for him to properly reach. It actually made Roy chuckle because of how much smaller it made Dick seem.

"You're so tiny."

"You're a teenager! Of course, you're bigger than me!"

"You're still small for someone your age." Dick stuck his tongue out at him. "Here." Roy undid the strap and awkwardly wrapped it wound Dick's waist. It hung so low it almost brushed the floor. "This really isn't meant to be a waist quiver, but it'll have to do." He stood back and examined Dick. With the arm guard that was long and duct taped to his arm, the too big quiver hanging on his side, and the bow that was a little too long for his size, he looked like a little kid. Roy shrugged as he put his quiver back on. 'Oh well… Best I can do.' He looks down at Dick, who looked back at him expectantly. "First thing you need to do is to use the proper stance. Stand like this." Roy stood face to face with the wall with his body perpendicular to the target. Dick cried him, looking back over his shoulder at him.

"Like this?"

"Yes. Make sure your feet are shoulder length apart." Dick adjusted his feet quickly. "Stand up straight." Dick tried to stand straight, which prompted Roy to briefly put his hands on Dick's back. "Relax your back muscles. You want to be loose." The muscles in Dick's back relaxed a little bit. "Now take an arrow from your quiver. Try not to touch the fletchings."

"The what?"

"The feathers."

"Oh, ok." Dick grabbed an arrow but was a little discouraged he couldn't pull it out as fluidly as Roy did.

"Rest the shaft-"

"The what?"

"The long part."

"Got it."

"I haven't finished yet. Rest it on the arrow rest."

"The-"

"The divet in the bow."

"Oh, ok." Roy moved to the other side of Dick so he could see what the boy was doing. He reached out and carefully adjusted the arrow.

"You want one of the fletchings to point out like this."

"There are so many things to remember."

"You'll get the hang of it. Now put the nock-"

"Nock?"

"The part of the arrow that attaches to the string."

"Oh, ok."

"Pull that onto the bowstring. Now use your three index fingers to hold it there. Put the first one above the arrow and the other two below the arrow." He took an arrow from his quiver and nocked it quickly to show Dick what he meant. "Got it?"

"I think so." Dick's fingers were in the right place, but he was gripping the string too tightly.

"Loosen your fingers. Use the tips to hold the string." He held his bow down so Dick could see how he was doing it. Dick tried to relax his fingers like Roy.

"Am I doing it right?"

"You're doing pretty good for your first time." That seemed to make Dick feel better. "Now, lift the bow and point the arrow at the target." Dick brought the bow up and pulled the string back without Roy needing to tell him too. He had to admit that it was harder to do than he thought.

"I'm ready to shoot!"

Roy chuckled. "Not quite." He angled the bow a little higher. "Keep it parallel to the ground. Keep your elbows in." He adjusted Dick's arm slightly. "Ok. Now make sure it's pulled back to your ear of you can. If not the jaw is fine." Dick glanced down, trying to see where the string was from the corner of his eye.

"Got it."

"Now aim at the target-"

"And shoot?"

"And shoot." Dick's fingers slipped off the bowstring and the arrow shot forward. Unfortunately, the force of the bow caused him to miss the target. The arrow soared past it by several feet.

"Awww, man…"

"Not bad for your first try."

"Technically, it's my second."

"For your second try, it's still really good."

"I missed the target."

"Then you just need to keep practicing."

"How long until I'm good like you?"

"I don't think I'm a good comparison for that kind of thing."

"Why not?"

"Well…..I started younger than you and I had more time to practice than you do. There was also…." Roy's voice trailed off and caused Dick's curiosity to peak.

"Also what?"

Roy swallowed, losing away. "There was also Ollie."

"Why do you call him that?"

"What?"

Dick made a face. "Ollie. You almost never call him Oliver."

"So?"

"So, he hurt you. Why do you use a nickname for him, like he's your friend or something?"

"I-I don't know. I just do."

"Why, though?"

"I don't know." Roy looked at the target, focusing on it. "I just- Do you want an archery lesson or not?" Dick knew that was his cue to stop asking. He simply fixed his stance and tried shooting again. They did this for the next couple of hours. Dick kept shooting at the target with Roy fixing his stance or how he held the arrow most of the time. A few times Roy shot with Dick. Initially, he'd tried to aim for a ring around the bullseye to avoid making Dick feel bad, but simply the act of pointing the arrow at the ring made his heart rate go up. On reflex, he jerked his arm back and got the shot off quick. His anxiety decreased significantly when he saw it hit the dead center of the bullseye. Dick was focused on his own shooting, so he didn't notice the mini-heart attack Roy had just had. They were so focused on their shooting that neither of them noticed Bruce come in to watch them. Normally he would've had them training extra in stealth and awareness as a result, but it was the holidays and Dick was learning a new, useful skill, so he decided to let it slide just this once. Just when he was about to get their attention one of Dick's arrows finally hit the target.

"Woo! I did it!" he cheered. In his excitement, he happened to glance back and see Bruce. "Look, Bruce! I hit the target!"

"I see that Dick," Bruce replied. "I'm glad to see you're learning new skills."

"I'm not as good as Roy, though."

"None of us are." The sincerity of the compliment had Roy taken aback for a moment. His shocked brain didn't know what to say or do. Thankfully, Bruce had a purpose for coming to see them. "Suit up."

"Is there an emergency?"

"No."

"Why are we patrolling then?"

"Don't you and Dick have the party to go to?" Roy asked as they followed Bruce back into the main cave.

"Shhh!"

"I thought it'd be a good idea to do a quick patrol before the party." He looked back at Dick. "Unless you want to start getting ready-" Dick was already halfway to his suit before Bruce could finish.

A mere 15 minutes later they were swinging across the Gotham rooftops. The cold wind was bitter as it bit Arsenal's exposed skin. Thankfully Batman, unlike Green Arrow, had given him a longer sleeved suit for the cold. Originally, he'd feared it would be too difficult to shoot with long-sleeves (Green Arrow's excuse) but Bruce had designed it well. This meant that his face was the only thing exposed to the winter air. The vigilante's feet touched down on a snow-covered rooftop. It crunched lightly under his boots as he ran to the other edge. He looked down at the side street below. There was a young woman hurrying down the thin sidewalk. Arsenal was about to turn away when he spotted someone steps out of the doorway of a building. He leaned forward a bit and spotted something metallic in the man's hand. Arsenal and an arrow on his bow before the man could make it more than two feet. A second later his arrow hit the man's knife and knocked it from his hand. He yelled in surprise as it landed in a nearby snowbank. Arsenal quickly descended to the ground and shot another arrow at the guy's feet. It hit just behind his heels as a warning.

Clearly, the warning went unheeded because the man's solution was to try and punch the vigilante. Arsenal ducked under his fist with ease and brought his bow up into the man's nose. The would've-been-mugger grunted in pain and backed up. Arsenal punched him in the face, knocking him back into the snow. The man scrambled back as Arsenal looked at him.

"You should apologize to the lady," he said.

"S-sorry…" the man stammered.

"This isn't the best way to start your year. I'd suggest you get lost and think of some new resolutions that don't involve crime." Not needing to be told again, the man took off running down the darkening street. Arsenal turned back to the girl. "Are you ok?"

"I am," she said. She pulled her sweater tighter, moving her back hair out of the way. Now that he could get a good look at her, he saw that she was about his age. "I could've taken care of myself though."

"I-I'm just doing my job."

"I'm sure." She took step closer, causing him to take one back.

"You should be wearing a jacket. It's cold out."

The girl shrugged. "I gave it to my little sister." She moved even closer and Roy tried to move back, unsure of what to do. "She's a fan of yours by the way."

"Oh really?"

"Should've seen the look on her face when she found out there was an archer vigilante in Gotham now."

"Is she an archer too?"

The girl smirked. "You could say that. I should get home. Don't want to leave my sister home alone with our dad for too long."

"O-OK." Thankfully she stepped back, so Arsenal didn't have to figure out what she wanted. "Happy New Year."

The girl smiled back at him again. "Happy New Year, Arsenal." She disappeared into the dark and Arsenal throw the knife in a nearby trash bin. His body was buzzing with positive energy from the solo take-down, so it took a second to notice something was wrong. The rooftop he'd been on looked exactly the same except for one thing: Batman and Robin were gone. Anxiety started to play at the edges of his mind, but Arsenal tried to stay calm.

"Batman?" he said into his comm. Static. "Robin?" Still nothing. He moved his hand and took a deep breath. 'Don't panic, Think. Use your head.' Despite Batman's griping about it, the snow on the rooftops had preserved their footsteps was now proving useful. He followed them to the edge, then across the back alley to another. From there he swung across the busy street to another building. Their footsteps carried to the right, allowing to run from rooftop to rooftop. The suddenly ended two blocks later and he looked around. A quick visit to the nearby buildings told him none of the other rooftops had their footsteps. 'So they went to the ground,' he thought, descending into the alley. Their footsteps all over the alley, but no way to tell if they were Batman or Robin's. Arsenal frowned as he looked for any signs of where they went. It was a back alley that was typical in this neighborhood. Only two yards wide with lights on the back of the buildings illuminating it every 10 feet. He looked left and right, wondering which way to go. Then, something in the snow caught his eye. He ran over to the object and picked it up.

A bat-a-rang. They had definitely been there. Arsenal held the bat-a-rang in his hand a looked around. It was a smaller variety, meaning Robin was the one who'd thrown it. There was no blood or anything on it, nor anything else in the alley to aim at, so it must've missed its mark. 'Robin doesn't miss though,' he thought. When it came to accuracy, the kid was spot on. 'Unless he was distracted.' He faced the building that was less than a foot away from his position. A very close inspection revealed a slim nick in bricks where the bat-a-rang hit it. Arsenal put the edge of the bat-a-rang up to the nick and slid to along it. 'Deeper on the right, which means it came from the right.' Moving with great care, he tip-toed to the right. It didn't take long before he spotted two indents in a snowbank. He ran over and carefully pulled two small objects. "Their comms," he whispered. Something was definitely wrong then. The comms and bat-a-ran found a home in one of his pouches while he searched more. Moving in the same direction, he found some disturbed snow. The rest of the snowbank was evenly shaped, but here the snow was obviously pushed around. Crouching down, Arsenal used the tip of an arrow to scrape snow away. It didn't take long before he found another bat-a-rang. Stowing it with the others, Arsenal moved down the alley. He made it twenty feet without finding any more evidence.

Frowning, he back-tracked and looked again. Everything in this part looked normal- If he'd blinked he would've missed it. Most of the backdoors of the buildings around him were covered in snow. They obviously hadn't been opened all winter. Except one. Arsenal stepped back and shot his grapple arrow at the roof. Upon his ascent, he noticed an open window and swung himself inside. Once he was crouched in the room and the arrow was back in his quiver, he crept to the door. There was no one around when he opened it. The door opened to a hall that went around the perimeter of the building. To his left, about 10 feet was a starts case that led down somewhere. The entire rest of the floor was open, so he crept to the railing and looked down below. Whoever had designed the building had obviously wanted to give the impression of fanciness but wasn't that good at it, since the first floor was literally like a pit because of the walls that led up with the all above. Robin was tied to a chair against a far wall on his left, and Batman tied up on the ground on his right. 'At least I found them…' Consequently, he'd also found about two dozen guys with guns.

Granted he wasn't an expert, but he was pretty sure they weren't dressed to be gang members. None of them wore any of the colors of the most prominent Gotham gangs. They all wore black suits, giving them a uniformed look. 'Probably a mob,' he thought, remembering Batman had mentioned there was a couple of small mobs in the city as well. Thankfully, none of them were looking up, so Arsenal was able to move along the railing; trying to get a good look at the floor below. There were crates in neat piles in the room. 'Guns,' a gut feeling told him. 'They're trafficking guns.' Batman and Robin's utility belts were on one of the crates. Arsenal swallowed. 'I'm outnumbered 25 to 1.' The odds weren't great, but he'd faced worse. 'Ok. These guys took down Batman and Robin, so they're probably too smart for 'divide and conquer'. I don't have enough firepower on my own.' HIs brain looked at the crates and the room again, trying to conceive a plan. Within a few scones he had one, but it wasn't a good one. Better than nothing though. He took a deep breath and climbed up onto the railing. Luckily the mob guys were so focused on Batman that none of them looked up.

'No one ever looks up.' One leap and a jump later he was crouching on the top of a pile of crates. Now that he was closer he could hear what the man was saying.

"I'm not a patient man, Batman," said a man holding a gun. "How did you find out about my operation?" There was no reply. The man sighed and snapped his fingers on his free hand. Almost instantly, three men near Robin pulled their guns out and pointed them at him. Robin made a face.

"Come on? Three?!" he practically laughed. "Psh! At least Riddler sicks 5 goons on me. This is just insulting."

"You should be quiet, little bird."

"Will it get me more goons?" Two more guns pointed at him. "That's better. You have to at least live up to the standards of the Arkham villains."

Arsenal huffed silently. 'Why can't this kid by quiet for once?' He pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked them to his bow. A steady breath calmed his muscles. This vantage point gave him some great angles. 'Speed,' he thought. 'Its all about speed.' He shot the first arrow, which found it's marked, a hand, early. Without thinking, Arsenal's fingers jumped nimbly from his quiver to his bow, then back again. In one time he'd shot an arrow at the gun hands of the men surrounding Robin. Everyone else in the room looked up to where the arrows and come from. Robin had a confident smirk on his face, which the leader didn't miss. Several men started shooting, but Arsenal was already moving. He started shooting arrows at their guns as he moved. The arrows slid down the barrels of their guns with ease, rendering them useless. The archer hopped from crate to crate, much like he did with buildings outside, dodging bullets as he did. Three more arrows and three more men now had useless weapons.

"Shoot him!" the leader shouted. "There's three times as many as us!"

'Like that'll help,' Arsenal thought. He ducked behind a crate, letting it take the brunt of the gunfire. Splintering wood and gunshots were the only thing he could hear for a good minute. In that time he pulled another arrow from his quiver. He angled it just right and shot from behind the crate. It hit another man. Everything stopped momentarily and he took the opportunity to move. Just as he shot two more arrows into guns there was more gunfire. Distantly, he heard Robin yell his name, then fire ripped through his arm. He gritted his teeth and kept firing. It sent shock waves of shape pain through his arm to his shoulder and collarbone, and then down his left side, but he kept it up anyways. His aim was still perfect. The arrows hit the hands and guns of even more men. There was blood soaking his sleeve and running down his arm, but Arsenal ignored it. He kept his attention on dodging and weaving. as he moved he started shooting at men who weren't even paying attention to him. They were once he fired arrows in their general direction.

'Thank god all their weapons are lower caliber,' he thought as he jumped onto another crate. He knelt down and started firing off quick shots again. A couple of the men had stopped ring and were backing up; wisely guessing this wasn't a fight they could win. Arsenal stood up when there was a momentary break in the bullets. He jumped down and attacked them straight on, taking them by surprise. One of the braver of the men shot at him again. There was a dull pain, like getting pinched, in his chest. He winced when he felt the all too familiar snap of a rib. 'Probably broken,' he thought as he punched another man. They were starting to fell back quickly now as Arsenal was disarming them. Evidently, they weren't so good at hand to hand combat.

"Let's get out of here," the leader told them. About five men started shooting again as the rest escaped. Arsenal ducked behind another crate, wincing at the sharp pain in his chest. After a couple of minutes, the bullets stopped and the sound of a door closing reached him. He jumped back out, an arrow on his bow and ready to shoot someone. All the mobsters are gone though.

"Are you ok?" Arsenal asked Robin, running over to him. He put the arrow back in his quiver and set his bow down to untie his friend.

"I'm fine," Robin replied. He somersaulted out of his chair after Roy untied him to prove his point. "See?"

"Uh-huh. Your belts are over there." He titled his head to the crate he'd seen earlier.

"I got 'em!" While Robin dd that Arsenal freed Batman.

"Are you ok?" Batman asked him.

"I'm fine."

"You got shot."

"Huh?" Arsenal looked down at his arm. The blood and soaked the sleeve and he could feel it starting to reach his wrist. "Oh yeah." Robin handed Batman his utility belt and he secured it immediately. Batman put his hand on the small indent in Arsenal's suit. "Did that get through?"

Arsenal shook his head. "No, the kevlar stopped it."

"Good." Batman took his arm gently and studied the wound. He took a bandage from his utility belt and wrapped it tightly. Arsenal clenched his teeth to keep from crying out. "Let's get back, Arsenal needs medical attention."

Robin smiled at the archer. "Thanks for saving us.," he said as they left.

"You're welcome. I wasn't just going to leave you guys there."

"That's good."

— —

Back at the Bat cave, Roy was laying on the examination table. He was changed into sweats, minus a shirt. He winced as Alfred probed the wound again. "Sorry, Master Roy," he said. "It looks like the bullet hit the edge of your arm. Nothing vital though. Some stitches and you'll be fine." He turned away for a moment and Roy turned his head to the side to look at Dick, who was standing next to the table.

"They were shooting at you a lot. You're lucky they didn't hit anything else," he said.

"I know," Roy replied. Now that he was laying down the pain from his injuries was becoming more pronounced. There was a prick in his arm from Alfred numbing it. Bruce came in and looked at Roy.

"What does Alfred say?" he asked.

"The bullet hit the edge of my arm. It just needs stitches."

"What about the one that hit your kevlar?"

"Broken rib."

"I haven't x-rayed you to confirm that," Alfred told him.

"I know what a broken rib feels like," Roy mumbled, watching as Alfred started applying the stitches. His words made the butler freeze for a moment. Only a moment though and he resumed.

"We should still give you the proper medical examination. Do try to refrain from getting shot in the future."

"There was 25 of them and one of me! This is just lucky." He turned his head back to Dick and Bruce. "How did they catch you guys?"

"It was dumb luck," Bruce answered. "We saw their leader walking by. He was very loudly talking about a shipment, so we tailed them. It was a complete coincidence they lead us straight to those crates."

"Then they overpowered us," Dick said with a face. "How did you find us?"

"I followed the clues." To their puzzled expressions, Roy launched into a quick explanation of all the clues and deductions that had led him to finding them. "Once I saw the uncovered door and open window it really wasn't too hard."

"That's amazing!"

"Thanks."

"Then you took them all out by yourself!"

"I didn't take them out, they ran. Which was what I was going for. There were too many of them to safely incapacitate them on my own. I just wanted them to leave."

"You didn't try to split them up?" Bruce asked curiously.

"I didn't think it would work. I thought anyone who'd gotten the jump on you two wouldn't fall for the old 'divide and conquer' tactic." Bruce nodded. "I decided my best chance was to use my speed and disable their weapons. Once they realized they were outmatched I had hoped they'd leave, and they did." Alfred finished the stitches and helped Roy sit up. One x-ray later confirmed that his rib was broken from the force of the bullet. Luckily it was a clean break and Alfred was confident he just needed rest.

"Six weeks of no patrol or archery," Alfred told Roy sternly.

"Six weeks?! That's too long!"

"That's how long it'll take to properly heal."

Roy looked at Bruce, but the man shook his head. "Listen to Alfred, Roy."

"Now, Master Roy needs pain medicine and to rest. You two," he looked at Bruce and Dick, "have a ball to get ready for."

"Do we really have to go?" Dick asked while Bruce and Alfred helped Roy off the table.

"Yes, Dick," Bruce said. He gently helped Roy up the stairs.

"I can do it," Roy tried to tell him, but Bruce apparently wasn't listening. Bruce helped him to the den and let Roy lie down on the couch. Dick was sent to his room to get dressed with much grumbling and moaning. Roy smiled while Alfred helped prop him up with pillows to take some pressure of his chest. By the time Roy was settled and waiting for his pain medicine to kick in Bruce was dressed and wait for Dick. "He really hates these, doesn't he?" Roy asked.

"Yes. I don't particularly enjoy them either, but we have to go." Dick walked in, looking none too thrilled.

"Are you sure we can't just stay home with Roy?" Dick asked Bruce while the man tied his bow tie. "He's hurt, we should stay here."

"I'm fine," Roy said. "I'd hate to get in the way of your guys' fun." Dick made a face.

"Roy will be fine Dick," Bruce assured him. "Now let's go."

"We're already late."

"Fashionably late."

Roy could hear Dick's groan all the way from the couch. He laughed and picked up the book he'd been reading. After a few minutes, Alfred came in; setting down a tray with two teacups. "Did they leave?" he asked as he set his book side. Alfred handed him a cup of tea, then sat down with his own.

"With many complaints from Master Dick, yes," Alfred replied before taking a sip.

"What's the ball like?"

"It's a very formal event." Alfred sat back with a cup of tea while he talked. "The richest people in Gotham attend with their children. The ladies wear their finest pearls and jewels. The men wear identical suits and bow ties, even the young gentlemen. Usually, the ladies prefer to gossip and flirt, while the men discuss business and politics of the like."

"What'd the kids do?"

"Wander usually. After one or two hours they collect into small groups and talk with each other. Discuss matters at their schools or family vacations."

"So everyone just stands around and talks?"

"They drink fancy wine and champagnes. Eat small crackers with cheese on them."

"Sounds really boring. No wonder Dick didn't want to go."

"There is also some dancing."

"What kind?"

"Slow kind where women can get close to Master Bruce." Roy thought back to earlier that night. To the girl who'd gotten really close to him. How weird it had made him feel. "Does he like that?"

"In a manner, he might. Most of the time he merely puts up with it."

'Is that what girls do?' Roy wondered as Alfred took another sip of his tea. 'They get really close and make you uncomfortable?' That didn't make a lot of sense to him. He took a sip of his tea. "You make great tea, Alfred."

"Thank you, Master Roy. I strive to be a man of many talents."

"You definitely succeed in that endeavor."

Alfred smiled. "I'm glad you think so sir."

— —

The party was about as boring as Dick thought it would be. He wandered around the ballroom, hoping for something exciting to happen. So far the most eventful thing to happen was two women wearing the same dress. Other than that it was a real snooze fest. After dodging yet another attempt by someone to pinch his cheek he went looking for Bruce. Unfortunately, when he found him he was dancing with Selina Kyle. Dick made a face. 'Did she break out just to come to this party?' He watched them dance for a few minutes, before turning to go get some more food. Unfortunately, he didn't even see the man standing behind him until he'd run into him. Dick stumbled back and the man grabbed his arm to keep him from falling.

"Sorry s-" the apology died on his lips when he saw who it was.

"You should watch where you're going," Oliver scowled down at him.

Dick resisted the urge to punch him. That's when he noticed Oliver was still holding his arm. "I didn't see you Mr. Queen. It was an accident."

"Still. You should be more careful." Dick jerked his arm free and pulled on the sleeve.

"What're you doing here?"

"Ringing in the New Year, same as you."

"Why are you in Gotham though? Don't you live in Star?"

"I do. I was in town for some business and decided to stay for a couple of days. Like a mini-vacation."

"I don't know why anyone would want to vacation in Gotham."

"Hm… The crime rate can be a big deterrence. Wouldn't be so bad if you local vigilantes did their jobs better."

Dick frowned. "Batman and Robin do a great job helping the Gotham Police keep Gotham safe."

Oliver waved his hand. "Ahh, what'd you know, you're a stupid kid." That had Dick's metaphorical hunches raised. Before he could do anything though, a hand settled on his shoulder.

"I hope you're keeping out of trouble Dick," Bruce said to him.

"I was just telling to Mr. Queen," Dick replied innocently. "He's on a mini-vacation."

"Is that so?" Bruce looked at Oliver. "I didn't expect to see you here Oliver."

"I was in the neighborhood," Oliver replied with a shrug. "Thought I'd drop in and enjoy the festivities."

"What brings you to Gotham?"

"Business."

"I see." Bruce slipped his arm around Dick's shoulder, almost protectively. "Are you staying long?"

"No, I've already been here for a week. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I hope your week in Gotham was a success."

"It was. I got everything I needed."

"Good. You'll have to excuse us, Miss. Kyle wants to say hi to Dick."

"Of course. Have a good new year's Bruce."

"You as well."

"He seems to have gotten over you helping in Roy's kidnapping awfully fast," Dick muttered as Bruce steered him away.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell….you know who about Oliver being here?"

"He's leaving tomorrow. I don't think it'll be necessary."

"What'd you think he was going in Gotham?"

"Probably business, like he said. There have been no signs of Green Arrow around."

"He came to Gotham, but he's not here to intimidate…you know or get him?"

"Apparently."

"You think he's finally given up?"

"Hard to say. He's been really quiet the last month and a half."

"I hope he has."

"Me too Dick. Now go talk to Selina."

Dick shrugged. At least she wouldn't pinch his cheeks.

— —

A few minutes before midnight, Alfred left the room, promising to be back soon. Roy simply nodded and returned to the movie they were watching. It was Disney's, Robin Hood. There were animals as all his favorites and it wasn't half bad. Alfred had suggested they watch a movie to pass the time. He even suggested they watch Errol Flynn's Robin Hood, knowing how much Roy loved the character. However, a quick explanation about how that was also Oliver's favorite movie quickly killed that idea. Then Alfred had told him about this one. Evidently, someone named Lucius Fox had given Bruce a bunch of children's movies when he took in Dick. This had been one of them. It was honestly a win-win. Roy got to watch a Robin Hood movie and it wouldn't remind him of Oliver. Best of both worlds. He was bobbing his head along with the music when Alfred returned with champagne glasses.

"I- That's-" Roy stammered, heart, starting to pound.

"It's not alcoholic sir," Alfred assured him. "Sparkling cider."

"Sparkling cider?"

"Yes." Alfred handed him one. "Smell it." Roy brought the glass to his nose cautiously and sniffed. "See?"

"Is this for midnight?"

"It is indeed." They both looked at the clock on the wall.

"Five minutes. What do you think Bruce and Dick are doing right now?"

"Master Dick is probably counting down the seconds until he can come home."

"And Bruce?"

"Probably keeping Master Dick out of trouble."

Roy didn't necessarily believe that one, but it did make him smile. "Four more minutes."

"Indeed. Do you have any resolutions for this year?"

"I don't know…. Maybe….Learn to shoot more than one arrow at once."

"A very nice goal, sir."

"What about you Alfred?"

"I think I shall try to finish a book."

"Finish a book? How is that hard?"

"You'd be surprised when people go out fighting criminals every night sir."

"I guess so." He looked at the clock. "Two minutes." He sat up a little more and made sure he was ready. He couldn't remember the last time he was this excited on New Year's Eve. There was an entire year ahead of him. A year of helping people the right way. Getting to learn things and playing video games with Dick. A year where he didn't have to worry about Oliver. He grinned at Alfred. "I think this is going to be a good year Alfred."

"I sincerely hope so sir." The clock struck 12. "To the New Year."

"To the New Year." Roy raises this glass, then took a sip. The sparkling cider was delicious and wonderful. Roy was still grinning after he drank half of it in one gulp.

"Happy New Year Master Roy."

"Happy New Year Alfred."

A/N: Only two more chapters left! The next chapter is a big one, so don't miss it!


	53. The Confrontation

By any standards, the day started out perfectly normal. Roy was woken up by a nightmare. Thankfully though, it wasn't as bad as some of his other ones had been, so he was able to calm himself down. "My name is Roy Harper. Today is Friday. I'm in Wane Manor. I'm safe because Oliver isn't here. My name is Roy Harper. Today is Friday. I'm in Wayne Manor. I'm safe because Oliver isn't here." He kept repeating it, inhaling and exhaling with every other sentence respectively. It took ten minutes, but he was able to get himself calmed down. He looked over at his alarm clock. 3:30 a.m., the blinking lights informed him. Roy sighed and wiped the cold sweat off his face. 'Might we well get up now,' he decided as he threw his blankets off. It was still dark outside, so he turned his bedroom light on and pulled out his newest trick arrow designs. He was in the process of trying to design an arrow that could hide a rope or wire. Theoretically, he could shoot it and the wire would wrap itself around someone. So far it was the most sophisticated trick arrow he'd tried to design.

Roy worked on the design until the sun started to come up. He looked at the time and saw that it was now 7:00 a.m. The designs were still unfinished, but he was pretty sure he'd figured out how to make the wire wrap around someone. He got dressed and went downstairs to breakfast. Dick was already at the table, looking through his math workbook.

"Didn't get your homework done?" Roy asked.

"No!" Dick replied defensively. "I have a test today. I just want to make sure I know everything."

"You're great at math. You'll be fine."

"Shh!" Roy shook his head as he dug into his breakfast. Bruce joined them and sat down to drink his first cup of coffee for the day.

"Dick, no homework at the breakfast table," he said as he picked up his paper.

"It's not homework, I'm studying."

"No studying either."

"I have a test today!"

"Do I need to cut back on your patrol time to give you more time to do your schoolwork?"

"No! I'm just studying to make sure I know everything. I really want to get a good grade on it. I've gotten an A on every test this quarter so far!"

"You'll be fine."

"I have a math test today," Roy told him, "but you don't see me worrying." Dick stuck his tongue out at the teen.

"Put the book away, Dick."

"You get to read at the table," Dick pointed out as he closed the book and pushed it aside.

"It's my table." Dick huffed a little and started eating his breakfast. Once they finished eating, Dick and Bruce got ready to leave while Roy got his school supplies together. He brought them downstairs and set them down on the dining table just as Dick came down.

"Good luck on your test," Roy told him.

"Thanks, you too."

Roy looked over his notes on math and history, and his words of the week as well, since Alfred gave spelling and vocabulary tests every Friday. The old butler seemed to think proper spelling and vocabulary were really important for Roy. On the plus side, it was always fun to use words Dick obviously didn't know and confuse him. By the time Alfred returned, he'd looked over everything and was confident he'd pass.

"Books under the able Master Roy," Alfred told him.

"Yes, Alfred." Roy put his books and notes under the table, leaving only a notebook, a pencil, and calculator on top.

"We'll start with spelling as we do every Friday." Alfred started reading his words. Once he finished they did vocabulary. It was similar to the spelling test since Alfred read the words and Roy had to not only write them down but also define them. Once he was done with that he tore the paper out and give it to Alfred. "Very good sir. Here are your other two tests. You can do them in whatever order you wish."

"Ok." Roy started with history since he was most confident in that one. He'd been studying the World War 2 and Alfred had even made sure to spend a week on the Navajo Code Talkers. He flew through the questions, finishing them in no time at all, then moved on to math. This one took him a little longer, but by the time he finished he was confident he'd done well. Alfred assigned him more work while he went over Roy's tests. As expected, Roy passed all of them. His spelling and history tests were perfect 100's. The vocabulary was high as well, and so was math.

"Very well done, sir. Now it is time for your lunch break."

"Ok." Alfred always gave Roy an hour for lunch. Time to eat and then he sent him outside for "recess". Roy had long ago pointed out that he was pretty sure there was no recess in high school, but Alfred had insisted he needed the time to run around. However, since it was winter, Roy and been having his "recess" time in the Manor gym. So he ate his lunch and wandered down to the gym. He messed around on the gymnastics equipment since when Dick was him he usually monopolized it. Alfred retrieved him when his lunch break was over, and they went back to work. Roy finished up the science assignment he'd been given, and then it was English.

"So, Master Roy, did you enjoy Hamlet?" Alfred asked him. This was part of his English, part of it was grammar and learning about different types of stories, but the other part, Roy's and Alfred's favorite, was talking about the books Roy had to read. After English Alfred released him for the day since he'd done so well on his tests. With school over early, Roy went downstairs to practice his archery. His New Years resolution to learn who to shoot more than one arrow at once wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. He could hold the arrows to his bowstring and draw it, but when it came to shooting the arrows didn't always find their targets. 'I just need to practice more,' Roy told himself mentally. 'Just keep practicing.' He stayed downstairs for a couple of hours, shooting arrows the entire time.

After three hours of practice, he moved to trick arrow maintenance. They sometimes need to be fine-tuned to make sure all the moving parts still worked. He had a small work area in the Bat cave now, specifically designed for him when building and maintaining his trick arrows. He checked springs and wires, making sure they were all in working order. By the time he finished he Dick was home from school, so he went back upstairs.

"How'd you do?" he asked.

"I think I did good," Dick replied, tossing his bag without looking onto his bed. "but I won't know until Monday."

"I'm sure you did great," Roy replied, sitting at the boy's desk while the latter disappeared into his closet to change. "You're great at math."

"Thanks." Dick reemerged in more comfortable clothes. "Come on, let's go spar."

"Don't you have homework to do?"

"Its Friday, I have all weekend to do my homework!"

"Fair enough." Dick took his socks off before they stepped onto the mats and immediately jumped right into attacking Roy. Roy dodged down as soon as Dick's foot made contact with his shoulder blade. His drop caused Dick's momentum to carry him over the teenager. It took only a second before Dick was back on his feet and came at him again. The two traded blows and blocked each other almost every time.

"I'd say we're pretty equal in skill," Roy observed, ducking under one of Dick's blows.

"Ha! I'm still better!" As if to prove his point, Dick attempted to kick Roy in the head, but the teen caught his foot. He threw Dick off balance, which didn't really have any effect since, being an acrobat, Dick could easily flip back onto his feet. Their sparring lasted until Bruce got home from work and until dinner time. Alfred made them change before dinner since they were sweaty.

"How was your math test, Dick?" Bruce asked him.

"I think I got another A."

"Good. And yours, Roy?"

"I know I got an A," Roy replied, pride evident in his voice.

"That's also good. I think two A's deserves an extra hour of patrol tonight." Dick and Roy grinned at each other from across the table, which Bruce didn't miss.

By the time they were heading out on patrol, Roy was in a good mood. Patrol itself started normally. They stopped three car robberies and saved a group of girls walking home from a Friday night out partying. By the time the Bat signal went up Arsenal was confident they were going to have a good night overall. Which was probably why it went so wrong so fast. Batman made it to the roof of the police station several seconds before the boys did. Which gave him enough time to see the grim look on Commissioner Gordon's face and the green arrow in his hand. The moment he saw it he spun around and raised his cape to prevent the newly arrived Arsenal and Robin from seeing it.

"Robin, Arsenal, go back to the Batmobile," Batman told them.

"We just got here!" Robin protested.

"Batmobile. Now."

"But-" Batman gave him a stern look. Robin sighed.

"Fine. Come on Arsenal."

"What was that about?" Arsenal whispered to Robin as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop. They grappled across a busy street, landing safely on the other side without breaking a sweat.

"No clue. Commissioner Gordon usually needs our help when something serious is happening."

"If it's serious then why wouldn't Batman want us to know?"

Robin sighed. "I don't know. Let's just go. Hopefully, Batman won't be long."

"Ok." They'd just landed on another rooftop when Robin froze. "What's wrong?" Something moved quickly in the edge of his vision and Arsenal yelled in pain. His head dropped into his hands from the sharp pain that had just cut across his face.

"Are you ok?!" Arsenal raised his head, blood dripping down his face, mask now torn in half and grabbed Robin; pulling him to the ground. An arrow hit the rooftop right in front of them, having soared over their heads. Arsenal recognized the arrow immediately. His muscles froze and his heart stopped cold. Robin's eyes widened.

'Oh no.' He pulled Arsenal back to his feet and pushed him back in almost the same motion. Another arrow landed right where they'd been standing moments before. "We need to get out of here-" He froze in dragging Arsenal away when another arrow landed at his feet. 'Moving could mean turning our backs to the treaty and providing better targets.' Not knowing what else to do, he made sure to plant himself firmly in front of Arsenal before facing the intruder. Green Arrow stood fifteen from them, an arrow trained directly on them. "What're you doing here?"

"Getting back what's mine," Green Arrow answered simply. He wasn't even looking at Robin. All of his attention was on Arsenal. For his part, Arsenal wasn't moving or talking. His eyes were on Green Arrow and him alone.

"You're not taking him anywhere."

Green Arrow finally turned his attention to the small bird. "Who's going to stop me?"

Robin crossed this arms. "I am." He didn't even flinch when Green Arrow pointed his arrow at him. Heart pounding and muscles seizing a little, Robin tried to push his fear down. 'I have to protect Arsenal. He's my brother. I have to protect him.' Those words kept repeating in his head as he stood his ground. Green Arrow didn't say anything for a moment.

"I'll give you one chance. Step aside and I won't hurt you."

Robin's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Make me."

"I warned you kid." An arrow shot at him and Robin pulled Arsenal to the ground. Moving proactively, he threw a bat-a-rang at Green Arrow. 'If I attack him, I can keep his attention off of Arsenal.' Taking a second to make sure Arsenal was still in one piece, he launched himself at Green Arrow. The archer didn't miss a beat punched the small bird in the stomach. The kevlar absorbed some of the blow, but it still knocked Robin slightly off balance. Being the talented acrobat he was, Robin caught himself in a cartwheel and kicked his foot towards Green Arrow's face. Unfortunately, he missed, which gave Green Arrow the chance to grab his foot. He held the small bird upside down and kicked him in the face. Pain pulsed through the young vigilante's head as the blow stunned him.

"Let me go!" Robin shouted, even though he couldn't really discern where he was. "Let me go!"

"Robin…" Arsenal whispered. He could hear his friend shouting. "Robin…" He lifted his head and his heart started pounding against his constricting ribcage. It was painful. Green Arrow was standing on the edge of the rooftop. He was holding Robin by one of his ankles over the edge of the building. "Robin!" He scrambled to his feet. "Don't hurt him!"

"Throw down your weapons!" Green Arrow told him as he stumbled forward.

"Arsenal, don't!" Robin shouted.

"Shut up!" Green Arrow shook him and Robin felt an uncharacteristic bout of vertigo. "Weapons down or I'll drop him!"

"Ok!" Arsenal yelled in terror. He threw his bow on the ground and undid his quiver with shaking fingers. He dropped next to his bow and raised his hands to his face. "Please….don't hurt him…." He walked closer two steps. "Please…" Green Arrow simply studied him for a moment before releasing his hold on Robin. "Robin!" Arsenal darted forward, but Green Arrow snatched his arm and dragged him away. He pulled at the tight grip, trying to reach Robin; to save him. 'No, no, no, no, no! He's dead! He's dead, its all my fault!' A swift pull to the side and suddenly he was facing Green Arrow. The smirk on the man's face made him cower.

"Long time no see, Speedy." Arsenal shuddered involuntarily at his tone. "Did you miss me?" The teen shook his head. "Let's go."

"You didn't have to kill him…."

"Shut up."

"I did what you wanted! You didn't have to kill him!"

"I told you to shut up!"

"No!"

Green Arrow froze and glared at him. "What did you say?"

Arsenal tried, desperately, to jerk his arm free. "I said no. I'm not shutting up and I'm not going back with you!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are, you ungrateful little bastard!" Green Arrow threw him onto the rooftop. Before Arsenal could react the man slammed his foot onto his neck. Arsenal's head hit the hard surface and he grunted. "I did everything for you! I took you in and gave you a home! No one else on that backwater reservation wanted you!" His foot moved from Arsenal's neck, but a moment later he was kicked in the face and then the ribs. "They all knew what a worthless, waste of space you are!" Green Arrow was now on the ground, punching Arsenal, who'd forgotten everything he'd learned about blocking hits. "That's why I gave you the mask! To give you some use!" He stopped long enough to grab the teen's hair and hold his head up so he was glaring into his eyes. "To give you a purpose!"

Arsenal was quivering. Pain radiated all over his body and blood was trickling from his lip, as well as the cut on his face. HIs breathing was labored from what felt like a few broken ribs. Underneath all that though, was desperate fear. Of going back to Star. Going back to being Speedy. Going back to killing people. Back to being like Oliver. He shook his head as that desperate fear became overpowering. "N-no!" he yelled, voice cracking. "I'll never go back! I'd rather die than become like you!"

There was a moment of silence that turned his blood to ice. Green Arrow dropped his head and kicked him in the chest again. He cried out in pain and tried to get up, but Green Arrow was on top of him before he could manage it. He straddled the teenager and wrapped his hands around his throat. Pressure suddenly pushed down on his trachea; suffocating him. Arsenal kicked his feet out at the empty air and tried to throw Green Arrow off. His mind was a blind tape of constant panic that wouldn't allow him to try and move in any useful fashion. His vision started to get black at the edge of his vision and the pressure was suddenly removed. Stale air was pushed out of his lungs and he started coughing and gagging. He flopped over onto his stomach and shakily pushed himself up onto an elbow. His chest was heaving and his lungs were struggling to inhale. A small, gentle hand settled on his back.

"Arsenal! Arsenal breathes," Robin said. Arsenal didn't respond but continued to cough and shake. His own nerves were frayed and keeping his hand steady was difficult. After being dropped head first off a building and an all-consuming panic had prevented him from going for his grappling hook, Batman had caught him. The Dark Knight had needed to calm down his younger partner before the two of them could help Arsenal. Robin forced himself to swallow his anxiety and focus on Arsenal. "Arsenal its ok. Its ok you're safe now." The sound of someone hitting the roof made him look up. Batman pulled Green Arrow to his feet and punched him so hard he knocked him back down again. Robin swallowed and moved so he was in front of Arsenal, who was breathing again, but completely unresponsive. "B-Batman…" Batman either ignored him or was too busy stomping on Green Arrow's back to hear him. "Batman…" Batman jumped on top of Green Arrow and started punching his face. He struck Green Arrow with a bat-a-rang, causing a large gash in the side of his arm. Green Arrow grabbed his wrist and twisted it to disarm him, but Batman had another one ready and clipped the side of his head with it when Green Arrow tried to re-direct the blow. Robin waited a few seconds to see if Batman would stop, but he didn't. He just kept beating Green Arrow, who was desperately trying to block his blows. "Batman, stop!" Robin's heart beat even faster when Batman kept going. He put his hand on his comm. "Robin to Watchtower-"

"Robin," Superman said almost instantly. "What's wrong?"

"Green Arrows in Gotham. He- Batman's beating him up and he's- He's not stopping!"

"I'll be right there."

It made Robin feel slightly better than Superman didn't sound too concerned. When Superman has concerned then it was time to be scared. Then Batman kneed Green Arrow in the stomach and grabbed his arm, slamming it against the rooftop. The crack! of the bone made Robin flinch. He swallowed and crawled backward until he was next to Arsenal. He reached out blindly for his hand. Once he found it, Arsenal's hand gripped his with all the strength the teen could muster. 'Where's Super-' A blue streak landed on the building in the form of the Man of Steel. Superman glanced once at Robin and Arsenal to confirm they were conscious and alive before going to Batman.

"Batman!" he said. "Batman!" He grabbed the vigilante's arm to keep him from punching Green Arrow again. Batman stopped and looked at him. "Stop! He's had enough!"

"He-" Batman began as Green Arrow attempted to wiggle out from under him. Superman had marginally loosened his grip, allowing Batman to break free and get his hands around Green Arrow's neck.

"Batman, stop!"

"He should've left them alone! He should've left Roy alone!" It shook Superman slightly that Batman was so angry he was using real names.

"I know."

Batman's eyes never left Green Arrow and his tight grip never slackened. "He needs to pay!"

"He has. Batman, think about Roy. If you kill him what would do to him?" There was a moment of hesitation in Batman's eyes behind the cowl. "What happens if he was to watch you murder Green Arrow?" Batman finally looked away, but not at Superman. He looked backward at Robin and Arsenal. Sure enough, Arsenal's eyes were on them. Due to his mask being ripped, Batman could see one of his eyes. It was wide and filled with terror. The green eye was enough to make his grip slacken. Superman was right. He turned back to Green Arrow and, with a heavy sigh, let go of him. He got up and Superman quickly grabbed the archer by his arm. "I'll take care of him. Arsenal and Robin need your help." Batman merely nodded and Superman flew off with Green Arrow before Batman could change his mind.

Batman turned to Robin and Arsenal. Robin helped Arsenal to his feet gently as Batman approached. "Are you ok Robin?" Robin nodded, not trusting his voice. "Arsenal?" Arsenal didn't say or do anything. Batman reached out to him, which got a reaction. Arsenal whimpered and pulled back. Robin held tightly to him, speaking in a hushed voice. Batman saw the blood on his gloves and quickly stowed his hands beneath his cape. "Let's go home." They'd only been patrolling for three hours, but Robin didn't dare argue. Getting to the Batmobile was only slightly difficult. Arsenal surprisingly followed them and made it to the ground with no further injury or outbursts. Batman made sure to grab the teen's weapons before they left. The ride back to the Bat cave was silent. Robin was in the back seat with Arsenal. He held the teen's hand the entire time. Arsenal was pale and shaking, but mostly unresponsive. Once they were back Robin helped him out. His own façade was starting to crack. His small fame was shaking and a whine was building in his throat. Batman took off his cowl as Alfred approached them.

"You take one, I'll take the other," the butler said, delegating their power. Before Bruce could respond, Alfred carefully led Robin away; leaving him with Arsenal. He looked at the teen.

"Roy?" he asked quietly. Robin had removed the other half of his mask, but his gaze was on the floor. "Roy, are you ok?" It felt like a stupid question, but he didn't know what else to say. When Roy didn't answer he walked a little closer. "Roy?" There was a small, mumbled sound that most likely came from Roy. "What did you say?" Roy finally moved, taking Bruce by surprise as his head jerked up to look the man in the eyes. His eyes were shiny with tears.

"You promised…." he whispered.

"What?"

"You promised… P-promised he wouldn't find me here. Promised he wouldn't come near me. Promised he wouldn't hurt me-"

"Roy-"

"You promised…"

"I know, I know I promised. I'm sorry, Roy. I'm so sorry."

Roy shook his head. "You promised…"

"I know I did. I let you down. You were counting on me to keep you safe and I failed you. I'm sorry." Roy started shaking. Not knowing what else he could do, Bruce pulled Roy into a hug. Instead of pulling away though, Roy clung to him and buried his face in Bruce's shoulder.

"He tried to kill me."

"Roy-"

"I-I said I'd rather die than be like him and he tried to kill me!"

"Roy-" Bruce stopped when Roy's words broke down into gasps and then sobs. The sobs were haggard and broken like they were trying to tear Roy apart.

"Why does he hate me so much?! Why?! What did I do?!"

"You didn't do anything. None of this is your fault. I don't know why he hates you…" Bruce rubbed his back as the teen cried. "I just don't know, Roy. You're a good kid. You're smart, brave, compassionate. You build great arrows and you're the best archer in the world. I can't possibly imagine why anyone would hate you." They stayed like that until Roy stopped crying. Bruce then helped him over to the Bat cave's med-bay so Alfred could look him over. "Get on the table, Roy." He made sure Roy was safely sitting before turning to Alfred. "Where's Dick?"

"Master Dick disappeared to change."

"I'll go look for him." One look at the place where the suits were kept showed him that Dick had changed already. Moving on instinct, Bruce made his way to the back of the cave. Here the walls were mostly stone and not well used by him. There was a natural turn in the cave wall here. About thirty feet from the ground was a slab of stone that was sticking out. It was small, not big enough for anyone who wasn't a small, professionally trained acrobat to reach, much less sit on. Sure enough, Dick was perched there when Bruce found him. "Dick?" Dick's legs were pulled up to his chest with his head rest on his knees. "Dick, come down."

"I wanna stay up here…" Dick said, sounding several years younger than his actual age.

"Has Alfred checked you for injuries?"

"How's Roy? Is ok?"

"He's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm asking about you right now, Dick." There was a moment of hesitation.

"I fell… I fell a lot… I thought…"

"I know what you thought. But you didn't die, Dick, I caught you."

"I know, but I'm still…"

"Do you remember what I'm always telling Roy? That sometimes it's ok he can't control his reactions to things. This is one of those situations, Dick." Without warning, Dick jumped down, somersaulting to break his fall. He stood up and didn't hesitate before latching on to Bruce. Bruce returned the hug, allowing the small boy to cry out his fears. He rubbed Dick's back, speaking to him a hushed voice. "It's ok. It's ok now. You're safe, you're ok." Luckily, he knew from experience this was an effective tactic. When Dick had some control of his emotions again he pushed himself away from Bruce quickly.

"Sorry…" he mumbled, wiping his eyes.

"You don't have to apologize, Dick. What happened tonight must've been terrifying."

"But it was even more terrifying for Roy."

"Roy wasn't dropped head first off a building."

"It's still not as bad though! You should be helping Roy, not me!"

Bruce frowned and crouched down to Dick's eye level. "What do you mean, I should be helping him and not you? Why shouldn't I be helping you?"

"Because Roy's problems are worse! He needs you more. He's the one who has worse nightmares and panic attacks. He's the one who needs you."

"Dick, just because Roy has issues, doesn't make yours less important. Yes, Roy has been a priority for me in the past few months, but doesn't mean you shouldn't come to me if you're having a bad day."

"Really?"

"Yes. Like tonight. What happened to Roy was awful, but he wasn't the only one living out one of his worst fears." The bluntness of Bruce's words made Dick flinch a little. "Dick, I never want you to feel like you should keep quiet about your problems because of Roy. I don't want you to try and deal with them all on your own. Do you understand?"

"Ok."

"Good." Alfred came over to them with Roy, who was changed and bandaged. There were stitches on the cut on his face and both his face, neck, and arms were bruised. It made Bruce's chest tighten to see the beginning of fingertip bruises on Roy's neck. As soon as Roy saw Dick he darted forward and enveloped the boy in a tight hug.

"You're alive…" he whispered, sounding like he was on the verge of crying again. "But you- I saw him drop you…"

"Bruce caught me in time," Dick responded. "It's ok, Roy. I'm ok."

"No thanks to me-"

"No," Bruce said firmly, getting his attention. "What happened tonight wasn't either of your faults."

"Ollie wouldn't have come after him if it wasn't for me!" Roy was crying again, still clutching Dick like the boy would disappear on him.

Bruce sighed and rubbed Roy's back. It took a few minutes before the teen had claimed down again, but he still wouldn't let go of Dick. "I think they need some sleep," Alfred suggested, gently separating them.

"I agree," Bruce nodded.

"This way sirs." Alfred gently corralled Dick and Roy to the stairs. "You can both have some hot cocoa before you go to sleep." Roy kept his hand latched onto Dick's the whole way up the stairs. They ended up in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate for almost half an hour before Alfred actually made them go up to bed. Dick didn't even bother going to his own room, but simply curled up with Roy in his.

"Hey, Dick?" Roy asked quietly after a few moments.

"Yeah?" Dick mumbled sleepily.

"Why didn't you leave when Ollie let you?"

"I had to protect you."

"But you-"

"You're my brother, Roy. I wasn't leaving there without you." Roy didn't say anything. He didn't know any words to describe the warm feeling his chest that Dick's admission gave him. Instead, he wrapped his arms tighter around Dick as the boy fell asleep.

— —

Once they went upstairs, Bruce sat down at the computer and put his head in his hands. He sat like that, letting the weight of his failures keep him down, for an hour before he could finally move again. Eventually, he did change out of his Bat suit, but he still didn't move to go upstairs. There was too much to do. He carefully removed all the blood from his gloves; remembering Roy's reaction on the building. Then he got a hold of Clark to make sure Green Arrow was take care of.

"He had a very bumpy ride back to Star City," Superman assured him. "Flash helped me prepare an alibi for his injuries. Lucky for Oliver Queen an anonymous person got him to a hospital after he crashed one of his cars. Thankfully, Barry knew how to manipulate all our evidence so it looks completely accidental."

"He's good for things like that…"

"Are you all set?"

"Yes."

"Are the boys ok?"

"Physically Dick is fine, Roy could be worse. Mentally…they will be. They're both resilient kids."

"I'm glad."

After that, it was a matter of putting Roy's bow and quiver away. As he did there was a moment where he wondered if the teen would ever use them again. 'I wouldn't blame him,' Bruce thought as his fingers hesitated on the bow, 'if he never went out again. How can he if he can't trust me?' The knot of guilt hadn't lessened at all. It just kept pressing on his chest unrelentingly. Dick had nearly fallen to his death. Roy had nearly been kidnapped or killed by Oliver. He'd failed them both. Only after working himself near exhaustion for several more hours did he go upstairs. He wasn't expecting to see Roy sitting in the hall, outside his bedroom.

"Roy?" Bruce asked quietly. Roy looked at him. "Why aren't you asleep? Did you have a nightmare?"

"No," Roy replied just as quiet.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure."

Bruce sat next to him slowly, keeping a few inches of space between them. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Can't sleep." He started playing with the hem of his shirt. "I'm never going to be safe, am I?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Ollie. I'll never be safe from him. He'll just keep trying to get me and he'll kill anyone I care about to get to me." Bruce didn't say anything for a minute. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"I know you're scared, but this will never happen again."

"I don't want to go back there, Bruce."

"You won't. I swear, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Everything." Roy simply nodded. "Go to bed. Its been a long night."

"Ok." They got up and Roy started to open his bedroom door. He paused for a moment. "Thanks for saving me tonight Bruce."

"Of course."

Roy went into his bedroom and slipped back into the bed. Dick was so deeply asleep that he hadn't even noticed the teen's absence. He lay down and snuggled up next to Dick. His brother. 'I"m never going back,' he thought desperately. 'I'm never going back.'

A/N: Not sure if that was the big showdown you were all hoping for, but there it is. One more chapter until the end.


	54. The Ends and the Beginnings

A/N: I swear, I didn't purposefully leave you guys hanging for two weeks. I've just been really busy with school and stuff. Here it is though...the final chapter. I want to give a million thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/followed/faved this story! I was really unsure about what people would think of it, but I'm so glad everyone who read it enjoyed it.

I also have to tell you that there will be a sequel to this story. I don't know when it will be posted because the nature of it means I have to pretty much write the whole thing out before I post it. I'm hoping it won't take me a long time, but I hope you'll all read it when it's ready.

Until then, enjoy the last chapter.

The pain in Oliver's arm was almost unbearable. The pain meds he'd been given weren't strong enough to cover the broken limb and the pain from all of his other injuries. A dislocated jaw, split lip, mild concussion, and abrasions on his neck and face. 'quite the severe car accident, Mr. Queen,' he remembered the doctors telling him. 'You're really lucky.' That part made him snort.

"Yeah, I'm lucky," he muttered as he went down to his arsenal. "I'm really lucky Batman showed up. I thought dropping Robin would distract him long enough for me to get away." Apparently, he didn't have that kind of luck. "I'm lucky the League poached my sidekick and turn him against me. I'm really lucky."

"I'd say you are," someone. Oliver spun around and held up an arrow in self-defense. he scowled when he saw Flash string against the far wall by his archery range. "Batman could've killed you."

"Were waiting down here to make that entrance?"

"Maybe we were."

"Flash," Superman said. Oliver's head snapped around. "Stay focused."

"I am."

"How did you two get in here?!" Oliver demanded. "How do you even know about this place- Roy."

"Roy didn't tell us. We have other sources for our information."

"Like who?"

"Me," Batman said simply as he walked out of the shadows. Oliver stared him down in defiance, refusing to be intimidated.

"Come for a re-match Bats?"

"You don't exactly look like you're up for a re-match," Flash remarked.

"We're here to give you one more chance," Batman told him. "Stay away from Roy." He took a flash drive from his belt and threw it at Oliver. The archer caught it reflexively.

"You tried this already," Oliver smirked. "My threat still stands. If you take this to the police I'll-"

"This isn't for the police. If you come near Roy again, if I ever see your face, mask or unmasked, near Gotham again, these videos will be sent to every major news outlet in the country." The smirk on Oliver's lips faltered, which made Batman smirk.

"You-you can't prove anything-"

"We don't need to," Superman explained calmly. "The videos of you abusing a child half your size speak for themselves. Roy's been missing for a long time. Just their existence will be enough for people to think."

"And once they start thinking," Flash smiled, "they'll start to wonder about stuff. Like: why you waited three days to report Roy missing. Why there was no evidence of a break-in, even though you claim he was taken from his room. How kidnappers managed to get away with him from a three-story balcony. Why there was never a ransom demand. So many questions."

"They'll come to their own conclusions," Batman continued. "Once the idea that you could've been abusing Roy is on their minds…."

"They'd never arrest me," Oliver said. "I'm too rich, too powerful. They'd never have enough evidence."

"No, but your public image would be ruined. Your name will always be associated with this. What would your investors and board of directors say when people think you potentially killed your ward?" Oliver didn't say anything. Batman almost smiled. "This gets out and you're ruined."

"I didn't kill Roy."

"No, you tried. That boy is far more resilient than you gave him credit for. After everyone sees these though, they'll never believe you."

"I'll say they're fake-"

"Of course you will," Flash replied easily. "What billionaire wouldn't deny having murdered a kid under his care? But anyone competent in digital forensics would be able to verify its authenticity."

"How do I know you won't release the video anyways?"

"Believe me," Batman said, "Nothing would bring me more pleasure than ruining you, but then we wouldn't have anything to keep you away from Roy."

"This is an awful lot of trouble for one stupid kid."

"That kid is more valuable to this world than you could ever hope to be."

"Batman," Superman said, sensing the Dark Knight's growing frustrations. He turned to Oliver. "You know our demands. Stay away from Roy and us-"

"Including our civilians and kids," Flash added.

"We keep this to ourselves."

"You're too goodie-goodie to go through with it," Oliver said almost desperately, the last ploy to pull himself out of this hole.

"You wanna call our bluff-" Flash began, but Superman cut him off.

"Flash!" The Man of Steel said. He looked back at Oliver. "Call our bluff if you want, but that's your choice."

"Don't ever doubt the lengths we'd go to in order to protect our kids. Unlike you, we understand that protecting them is part of our jobs."

"I was doing my job!" Oliver snapped. "I was giving Roy a purpose! A reason for his miserable, worthless existence!"

Superman just managed to snag Batman's cape before he reached the injured billionaire. "We're done here. Stay away Oliver Queen. If you know what's good for you."

Oliver's hand clenched around the flash drive. He didn't even wait for them to leave. Without looking back, he stormed back upstairs and into his office. "Damn them!" he shouted, throwing the flash drive against the far wall. "Damn the League!"

"Couldn't agree more," Lex Luthor said. Oliver froze. The other billionaire was sitting in a chair, as calmly as if they were having a friendly visit and he hadn't broken into Oliver's home.

"Why does everyone keep breaking in?"

"You lack security?"

"Get out before I make you Lex."

"Come on Oliver, we both know you can't do that."

"You don't know what I'm-"

"Not even the Green Arrow could beat me with a broken arm." He smiled at the look on Oliver's face. "Yes, yes, I know all about that."

"Who told you?!" Oliver practically growled.

"No one. You know how brilliant I am. Of course, I figured it out."

"What do you want, Lex?"

"I have an offer for you." Oliver gestured for him to continue. "I have some….associates who have been watching you for some time."

"Associates?"

"Yes. We think you'd be a great asset to our organization."

"Oh really? Why would this be?"

"You're cunning, ruthless, determined, highly skilled as an archer, and you want revenge on the Justice League."

"Revenge on the League?"

"Of course."

Oliver's mind flashed to his previous conversation. "I don't know. The League has some….compromising information on me."

"They're using the fact that you abused Roy to keep you quiet? Don't worry, many of my associates won't see those particular actions as a problem."

"What about you?"

Luthor just barely managed to keep the look of disgust off his face. "What I think doesn't matter, what does is the work my associates and I intend to do. The League doesn't even know we exist. Your actions will be well shielded from them."

"You've created a secret organization the League doesn't know about? Never pegged you as an Illuminati Lex."

Luthor smirked. "You're not that far off actually. So what'd you say, Oliver? Do you want revenge on the League and that disobedient ex-sidekick of yours?"

Oliver smiled as he walked over to pick up the flash drive and set it on the mantle of the fireplace. "I'm in."

— —

"That went well," Flash remarked one they were on the Watchtower. "We didn't even have to hit him."

"I think he's already gotten what he deserves," Superman replied evenly.

"Hopefully our threats work this time."

"They will," Batman said. "Queen knows his life will be over if those videos get out."

"Then I'd call this case closed. Roy's safe. Mission accomplished. Now I have to go home. My wife is waiting for me." He sped off as Superman waved to him. The Man of Steel looked at Batman.

"How're the boys?" he asked.

"They're better."

"How's Roy handling all of this?"

"He's holding on. It'll be a little while until he's ready to go back out as Arsenal, but he'll get there eventually."

"I'm glad. Do you really think Oliver's staying away?"

"I do. If not because of our threats then because of his broken arm."

"You really let into him."

Batman leveled a look at him. "He came into my city and attacked Robin and Arsenal. He tried to kill them both."

"I didn't say he didn't deserve it."

"Good."

Superman studied him for a moment. "Something's on your mind."

"No."

"It wasn't a question."

"I know."

"Come on Batman. You've been like this for the last two days. What's going on? If you're worried about the boys, you said so yourself, they'll be fine."

"It's not that."

"What then?"

"Two days ago…when Oliver attacked Roy…afterward Roy… He looked at me with the same fear he always looked at Oliver with."

"Batman-"

"Like I was a monster-"

"Bruce-"

"Like I was dangerous."

"You're not dangerous to Roy and he knows that. You're nothing like Oliver-"

"Oh really? Billionaires orphaned at a young age. Spending their time and resources on fighting crime at night. Using fear and intimidation to keep the criminals in their place. I'd say the resemblance is uncanny!"

"You're not Oliver Queen! You're nothing like him, Bruce. Yes, there're some superficial similarities, but that's all they are! Superficial! You lost control for one night. No one's perfect. You're only human Bruce and this case has been hard on you, I can tell. I know you better than anyone in the League and I know that seeing a young orphan who was taken advantage of while he was vulnerable was unbearable. The fact that Roy was manipulated by someone he trusted, who should've been helping him through that dark time, killed you. I know it was hard. You snapped, but you didn't kill Oliver."

"Because you stopped me."

"I stopped one punch. You made the decision not to kill him that night."

"I didn't want to do that to Roy."

"I know. You were looking out for his best interests, which is far more than Oliver Queen ever did." He paused, seeming to consider something. "Do you know that what happened with Oliver and Roy was exactly the kind of thing I was afraid of when I met Robin? An impressionable, vulnerable child coerced into something he doesn't fully understand by a grown man holding that boy's life and well-being in his hands. When I first found out about Robin, I thought you were no better than Oliver Queen. Honestly, I've never been happier to be wrong about something, because you didn't do what he did. You helped Dick. For better or for worse you gave him direction and in your own way, love. You helped him see what could become. You did that. Because you care about him. You love him. Oliver doesn't love Roy. I don't think he ever has. Roy was a tool to him and we both know it. That's the difference between you and Oliver and its the only one that matters. Maybe there are some silly, superficial things that make you similar, but underneath it all, you're a good man; and he's not."

Batman didn't say anything for a minute. "You really believe all that?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't be your best friend if I didn't."

"You're not my best friend."

Superman smiled. "Whether you want to admit it or not I am. Who else around her is going to put up with your grumpiness?" Batman rolled his eyes. Superman chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder. "We won Bruce. Regardless of how we got here, Roy's safe now. That's all that matters."

Batman nodded. "I suppose."

"Go home. Check on the boys. Make sure they're ok."

"Don't tell me what to do." He brushed Superman's hand off and stalked away. He stopped irate beef the zeta beam. "Fly home safely tonight, Clark."

"I will." Superman watched him go with a smile.

— —

Once Batman was in Gotham, he meant to go on patrol. He really did. Somehow though, he ended up in the Batmobile, heading back to the cave. He was mildly surprised by himself, but then decided it wasn't that strange. He should check on Dick and Roy after all; as the responsible adult, he was. When he changed out his suit he told himself it was because Alfred had a strict 'no capes in the Manor' policy. Not even the most hardened criminals would dare risk the butler's wrath. 'Nothing out of the ordinary,' Bruce thought as he climbed the stairs. 'Nothing at all. I'll just check on them. Make sure everything is ok.' He found the boys in the den, curled up on the couch watching a movie.

"Bruce!" Dick said in surprise when he saw him in the doorway. "You're home really early."

"Am I?" Bruce pretended to act surprised. "Well if you don't want me here, I can always go back out-"

"No, stay! Roy's showing me this Robin Hood movie! It's got talking animals in it."

"Not as good as Errol Flynn," Roy said with a shrug. "but what're you gonna do?"

"Errol who?" Roy gave Dick a look of shock.

"I have so much to teach you." Bruce, very unsuccessfully, tried to hide his amusement.

"Come on Bruce!" Dick said, scooting over so he could sit between them. "Come watch with us!"

"It's really not that bad."

"Alright," Bruce said like he'd actually needed to think about it. He sat between the boys and Dick automatically curled up against his side. Roy, still not as tactical as him, didn't do that, but did sit close enough that he was touching Bruce. It was a little bit of an odd setup, but one that Bruce accepted happily. The movie was just an average kids' movie to him. Not significantly different from the other ones Dick had made him watch, but it wasn't the movie he was there for. It was for the two boys who were asleep by the time the end credits were rolling.

Alfred walked in and smiled at them. Dick was curled against Bruce and Roy's head was on Bruce's shoulder. "I take it they were more tired than they admitted," he said quietly.

Bruce nodded. "It's been a long couple says."

"Hopefully, such long days will be over."

"Agreed."

"Should we wake them?"

"No, let them sleep. They need it."

"Very good, sir." Without needing further instructions, Alfred carefully eased Dick away from Bruce. He gently scooped the sleeping boy off the couch and Bruce slowly lifted Roy's head. Trying not to disturb him too much, Bruce lifted Roy up and settled the lanky teen in his arms. There would probably be more sleepless nights ahead of them. Trying to get Roy back out on patrol and making sure he stuck with his therapy. Attending to Dick's needs as much as Roy's. Dealing with the fallout of Roy no longer feeling safe in Gotham. Bruce was starting to realize being a parent meant keeping up with an ever-growing list of things that needed to be done.

'It can wait though,' Bruce decided as he carefully laid the teen down on his bed. Roy's face was peaceful, the first time in the past couple days, and Bruce hoped he'd get through the night without a nightmare. 'Right now Roy is here. Roy is safe. My boys are both safe.' He smiled as he covered Roy with a blanket and gently kissed his forehead. 'That's all I want for now.'


End file.
